Intersectional (dis)advantages of international female Higher Degree by Research (HDR) students in Australia

Women's voices are often minimised across the academic community, and international female students' voices are even more marginalised within the tertiary sector. International female HDR students face complexities in their academic learning events arising from language barriers, cultural differences and personal matters while negotiating everyday life in a foreign country. Nested within the epistemological positioning of intersectionality, this research explored the sociocultural and academic experiences of thirteen international female HDR students in the Australian tertiary education system. A narrative inquiry approach was used to open a space to understand the complexity of participants' lives. The research aimed to aid Australian universities, policymakers and educators in considering HDR candidates' multiple identities to (re)create supportive policies and services to interval their strains.