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This paper examines an identified but unexplored career gap evidenced at a mid-level classification in the academic career path for women in Australia. This career-stalling effect or holding pattern, is examined to determine underlying causes of career trajectory interruption.

Guided by the epistemological stance of standpoint theory, this exploratory abductive study employs a novel arts-based method, draw, write, reflect, to access experiences that may be difficult to convey verbally. The obtained drawings and reflections were thematically analysed.

Drawing on Bourdieu’s concept of illusio this article finds support for female academics’ bifurcated consciousness. Results demonstrate how opposing social role prescriptions result in the deliberate avoidance of work-life conflict, a nuanced lack of confidence in work tasks in combination with other, often competing responsibilities, and the uneven distribution of administrative duties known as “academic housework”, which combine to stall careers. Female academics feel pressure to prioritise their domestic role and eschew career progression.

Despite the small sample size, the findings provide rich career narratives and experiences of female academics in Australia providing additional impetus for increased gender equity efforts.

This study is the first to explore the previously unidentified holding pattern for female academics in Australia. Findings suggest there is a range of previously unexplored impediments resulting in a gendered stalling at a mid-level classification interrupting female academic career progression.

Policing organizations in Australia are increasingly expected to eliminate or mitigate psychosocial risks in the workplace to promote employee wellbeing. New leadership skills are required, as police leaders play a key role in supporting the physical and mental health of their staff. This study aims to investigate police leaders’ perceptions about their ability to support employee wellbeing, and the ways in which they would like their organization to equip them for this important task.

Qualitative thematic analysis was conducted on the narratives provided by 156 Australian police leaders in response to a series of open-ended questionnaire questions.

Drawing on the conservation of resources theory, the themes identified indicate that police leaders are hindered in their ability to support the wellbeing of their staff by their own increasing workload in a context of reduced resourcing, the continuing stigma around mental health issues, a lack of knowledge and skills about how to support employee wellbeing and a lack of support from senior management.

Overall, the study highlights the way in which new work, health and safety guidelines place additional responsibilities on police leaders for which many report not feeling prepared. Findings suggest that bespoke leadership training may be required to assist police leaders in supporting the mitigation of psychosocial hazards in the workplace.

Considering continuously evolving psychosocial safety guidelines, this paper makes a unique contribution to contemporary knowledge by focusing on the role and readiness of police leaders in Australia to lessen the psychological impact of police work on officers in an increasingly complex policing context. Additionally, practical implications and recommendations are discussed and offered.

Literature around the careers of female academics is targeted mainly toward identifying and examining career progression inhibitors, while the drivers appear largely unexplored. This paper aims to contribute to contemporary knowledge by identifying drivers to the career progression of female academics in Australia. With COVID-19 currently impacting the careers of female academics this knowledge can assist universities and human resource (HR) professionals in developing policies and practices to better facilitate female academic career progression.

Empirically this paper draws on a qualitative study of 18 male and 29 female academics, as well as nine senior university stakeholders. The authors employed semi-structured interviews and a novel methodology, Draw, Write, Reflect.

In line with attribution theory, senior stakeholders mainly identified organisational efforts, including leadership, gender equity endeavours, recruitment and promotion approaches, as well as a construct known as “relative to opportunity considerations”, as drivers of female academics’ career progression. Female academics, however, largely attributed their career progression to personal factors, such as family support, informal mentoring, and determination and persistence.

The findings have implications for universities and HR practices seeking to facilitate female academic career progression. Implementation of the drivers identified may enhance female academics’ abilities to progress their careers.

By focussing on the drivers of, rather than the barriers to, female academic careers, the research is novel in its identification of a previously unexplored mismatch between organisational attribution and individual attribution of career progression drivers thereby advancing knowledge of gender differences in academic careers.