Unsettling the yin-yang harmony: An analysis of gender inequalities in academic mobility among Chinese scholars

Abstract

This paper highlights the gendered nature of international academic mobility. Drawing on a qualitative research on Chinese scholars who have professional mobility experiences overseas, specifically in Germany, the paper demonstrates how the practice, meanings and perceptions of academic mobility are highly gendered. Research findings highlight how gender, intersecting with other axes of differences, shapes the power geometries of the transnationalized academic field, and in turn, facilitates and inhibits academic mobility differently among women and men. By bringing forth the gender inequalities in academic mobility, this paper contributes in opening up spaces to challenge and eliminate structural and normalized gender bias in the field.