Australian Women's Book Review Volume 14.1 - School of English ...

Adjusting One's Head to Advanced Research
Diana Leonard, A Woman's Guide to Doctoral Studies. Buckingham: Open University Press, 2002.
Reviewed by Myfanwy McDonald.
I must admit that I didn't read this book 'cover-to-cover in one sitting' as did one person whose
enthusiastic comments are included as a back-cover blurb for Diane Leonard's A Woman's Guide to
Doctoral Studies. This kind of enthusiasm may be indicative of someone who likes a guide type of
book (and I wouldn't include myself in that category), it may also be indicative of someone who doesn't
have 50 other books to read on the topic of their thesis along with having a book like Leonard's to read
about doing the thesis itself. The notion of 'A Woman's Guide …' is also a potential put-off for those of
us who are accustomed to not having our specific experiences covered (lesbian, non-Anglo and so on)
when it comes to a description of women's lives. Juggling a family and a career, for example, seems to
be the dominant theme in most discussions regarding women's development in Australia. But too often
the family being juggled is heterosexual and characterised by a present/absent father and kids, thereby
discounting those of us who are caring for older parents, are single, or who have a female partner.
Furthermore in these discussions, a career doesn't usually refer to a Doctorate, which isn't classified as
a career per se, but Doctoral students are still encouraged to view it as a full time job (with a justlivable
wage and without any kind of security beyond the 'reasonable completion period' of 3.5 years).
It is comforting to note that Leonard's book does not ignore
lesbian, non-Anglo, International and differently-abled
perspectives. I found the book helpful, especially because it
is feminist in a practical sense rather than simply adhering to
a superficial feminist perspective. For example, Leonard
emphasises the importance of women Doctoral students
establishing genuine, strong, social networks within
academia because of the potential sexism they may face in
an academic environment. This may seem to be rather
obvious advice but I think it is not unusual to assume, for
younger women especially, that once you've passed through
a certain number of 'hoops', thereby proving your capability
and commitment, you are relatively immune from
discrimination of the sexist type. This is a nice thought but
not very realistic. Academic environments exude their own
brand of sexism, and women still have to be aware,
regardless of how qualified they may be. It's also easy to
forget that there is a world beyond one's thesis - in the
immediate vicinity, this is other Doctoral students, and
support networks aren't just about looking out for oneself but
looking after the community of women within academia.
The book opens with a broad-based view of Doctoral studies, namely how Doctoral students fit into the
new 'skills'-based rather than 'expansion of the mind'-based academic environment. Leonard
summarises the impact of these changes upon Doctoral students in Britain and, on the whole, this
seems relevant to the Australian experience. Perhaps the most tangible change is the pressure upon
Doctoral students to complete their thesis within a specific time period, rather than adopting the more
71