Abstract
Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine women composers’ use of online communities of practice (CoP) to negotiate the traditionally masculine space of music composition while operating outside its hierarchical structures. Design/methodology/approach: The authors employed a mixed methods approach consisting of an online survey (n=225) followed by 27 semi-structured in-depth interviews with female composers to explore the concept and use of CoP. Content analysis was used to analyze the survey responses and interpretative phenomenological analysis was used to interpret respondents’ lived experiences as relayed in the interviews. Findings: The findings reveal that the online environment can be a supportive and safe space for female composers to connect with others and find support, feedback and mentorship, increase their visibility and develop career agency through learning and knowledge acquisition. CoP emerged as an alternative approach to career development for practicing female music workers and as a tool which could circumvent some of the enduring gendered challenges. Originality/value: The findings suggest that online CoP can have a positive impact on the career development and sustainability of women in male-dominated sectors such as composition.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Journal | Personnel Review |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Accepted/In press - 1 Jan 2019 |
Keywords
- Career progression
- Communities of practice
- Creative industries
- Gender
- Mixed methodologies
- Women composers
Cite this
}
Women composers’ use of online communities of practice to build and support their careers. / Hennekam, Sophie; Macarthur, Sally; Bennett, Dawn; Hope, Cat; Goh, Talisha.
In: Personnel Review, 01.01.2019.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
TY - JOUR
T1 - Women composers’ use of online communities of practice to build and support their careers
AU - Hennekam, Sophie
AU - Macarthur, Sally
AU - Bennett, Dawn
AU - Hope, Cat
AU - Goh, Talisha
PY - 2019/1/1
Y1 - 2019/1/1
N2 - Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine women composers’ use of online communities of practice (CoP) to negotiate the traditionally masculine space of music composition while operating outside its hierarchical structures. Design/methodology/approach: The authors employed a mixed methods approach consisting of an online survey (n=225) followed by 27 semi-structured in-depth interviews with female composers to explore the concept and use of CoP. Content analysis was used to analyze the survey responses and interpretative phenomenological analysis was used to interpret respondents’ lived experiences as relayed in the interviews. Findings: The findings reveal that the online environment can be a supportive and safe space for female composers to connect with others and find support, feedback and mentorship, increase their visibility and develop career agency through learning and knowledge acquisition. CoP emerged as an alternative approach to career development for practicing female music workers and as a tool which could circumvent some of the enduring gendered challenges. Originality/value: The findings suggest that online CoP can have a positive impact on the career development and sustainability of women in male-dominated sectors such as composition.
AB - Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine women composers’ use of online communities of practice (CoP) to negotiate the traditionally masculine space of music composition while operating outside its hierarchical structures. Design/methodology/approach: The authors employed a mixed methods approach consisting of an online survey (n=225) followed by 27 semi-structured in-depth interviews with female composers to explore the concept and use of CoP. Content analysis was used to analyze the survey responses and interpretative phenomenological analysis was used to interpret respondents’ lived experiences as relayed in the interviews. Findings: The findings reveal that the online environment can be a supportive and safe space for female composers to connect with others and find support, feedback and mentorship, increase their visibility and develop career agency through learning and knowledge acquisition. CoP emerged as an alternative approach to career development for practicing female music workers and as a tool which could circumvent some of the enduring gendered challenges. Originality/value: The findings suggest that online CoP can have a positive impact on the career development and sustainability of women in male-dominated sectors such as composition.
KW - Career progression
KW - Communities of practice
KW - Creative industries
KW - Gender
KW - Mixed methodologies
KW - Women composers
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85074011852&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1108/PR-02-2018-0059
DO - 10.1108/PR-02-2018-0059
M3 - Article
JO - Personnel Review
JF - Personnel Review
SN - 0048-3486
ER -