Institutional contradictions and gendered realities : a feminist reworking of new institutional theory in higher education

Abstract

This article investigates how formal institutional frameworks and family-friendly policies at the University of Malta intersect with gendered cultural norms to shape uneven outcomes for working mothers. Using an integrated analytical approach that draws on New Institutional Theory (NIT), Feminist Institutionalism, and Institutional Ethnography (IE), the study reveals how organisational structures that appear inclusive on the surface are often undermined by discretionary practices and informal expectations that reproduce gendered hierarchies.

The research combines textual analysis of institutional documents, survey data, and qualitative interviews with academic and support-staff mothers. The findings demonstrate a consistent implementation gap between policy and practice, highlighting the influence of managerial discretion, entrenched power asymmetries, and the persistence of invisible labour. By bringing feminist institutional insights into conversation with NIT and IE, the study offers a more nuanced framework for understanding the motherhood penalty in academia and underscores the need for stronger accountability and gender-sensitive institutional practices.

The argument builds on and extends existing feminist scholarship on institutional processes and inequalities (Cacace, Mellino, & Recio, 2023; Chappell & Waylen, 2020; Monro, 2021; O'Connor, 2022; Smith & Griffith, 2022).