Should I stay, or should I go? How young researchers imagine the (im)possible future in academia

This paper explores how early career scientists reflect upon a possible future within academia, and the ways in which various narratives on doing an academic career are imbued with (gendered) imaginaries of academia and academic life. The paper is based on qualitative interviews with early career scientists (PhD- and post doc-students) at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. The interviewees are selected from departments with different levels of gender balance and gender balance change patterns.