PhD Thesis: Why do Estonian Men and Russian Women have Different Career Paths?

Today, on November 23^rd, Kadri Aavik from the Tallinn University School of Governance, Law and Society will defend her doctoral thesis, which looked at why ethnic Estonian male managers keep advancing in their careers while ethnic Russian female employees keep losing out.

Aavik examined the practices, which cause social inequality and the methods used to maintain them. Her focus was divided between Russian-speaking women with good Estonian skills and higher education, who worked under their potential or were altogether unemployed, and ethnic Estonian men in management positions in the private and public sector.

The Russian-speaking women described their career progress as gradually declining. They accepted part of the responsibility, but also blamed external factors, with emphasis on their ethnicity. At the same time, they felt they had drifted away from social networks. Such predisposition does not allow the potential employee point out their strengths as a competent worker now apply for well-paid prestigious jobs despite their multilingual competences.

The ethnic Estonian male managers called their managing positions as a logical step in their career path, emphasising favourable chances and being in the right place at the right time. They found the need of social ties in becoming successful and maintaining their position self-explanatory, and did not see gender inequality as a problem. Their example shows how narratives do not only describe, but also create the material reality.

“Privileged groups, who maintain a façade of normality, have the possibility to implement certain norms, values and practices in such a way it becomes invisible to others,” Aavik assesses. “This enables ethnic Estonian male managers create a common solidarity as managers and men.”

Kadri Aavik’s doctoral thesis “Intersectional Disadvantage and Privilege in the Estonian Labour Market: an Analysis of Work Narratives of Russian-Speaking Women and Estonian Men / Intersektsionaalne marginaliseeritus ja privilegeeritus Eesti tööturul: venekeelsete naiste ja eesti meeste töönarratiivide analüüs“ was supervised by associate professors Trrin Roosalu from Tallinn University, Professor Andrea Petö from Central European University, Leeni Hansson, PhD from Tallinn University and associate professor Andrew Whelan from Wollongong University (Australia). Her opponents are associate professor Raili Marling from University of Tartu and Professor Jeff Hearn from Örebro University.

The defence will take place today, 23 November at 14:00 at the Tallinn University auditorium M-213, Uus-Sadama 5, Tallinn.

The doctoral thesis can be accessed via the TU Academic Library E-vault ETERA.