Why I am still here: The Resilience of Women Research Students

The Resilience of Women Research Students (RoWRS) is a unique personal and professional development program run at the Australian National University since 2010. RoWRS was envisioned as a practical response to national research and commentary about gender imbalances in the higher education workforce, especially post-PhD losses (e.g. Dever et al., 2008; Shaw and Stanton, 2012), and to the need among women research students for gender-based support (e.g. McCormack, 2001; Birch, 2011). The multi-session, evidence-based RoWRS program was thus designed to provide peer support, role modelling and psychological tools to support resilience (the ability to face adversity with hope; Deveson, 2003, ix) in the context of doctoral study and progression into academia. To date, about 150 women research students, including many international students, have participated at ANU, with the program now being trialled at other universities. This paper will describe the program, and report on evaluations that indicate RoWRS gives participants a suite of skills and strategies identified as key elements of resilience, a stronger belief in themselves as successful PhD candidates, and a more realistic understanding of what an academic career entails