Making Motherhood, Careers and Flexibility Work

Women's Work ◽  
2018 ◽  
pp. 159-178
Author(s):  
Zoe Young
Keyword(s):  
Family Life ◽  
Sense Of Self ◽  
Working Hours ◽  
Work And Family ◽  
Professional Women ◽  
Flexible Working ◽  
Working Practices

This chapter argues that balance is the seductive and coercive mantra of modern motherhood that draws professional women towards flexible working practices. It is seductive because work forms part of a women's sense of self and few want to give up. It is coercive because mothers feel obliged to comply and make balance the quest of their lives. For many professional women who become mothers, achieving balance has become a career aim in itself. What this study has learned is that balance across work and family life cannot be achieved arithmetically by dividing time evenly across two domains because balance is subjective and cannot be measured in working hours. Almost as soon as equilibrium is sensed things change again, and in that way balance is also a dynamic construct; what it means tomorrow will be different from today.

scholarly journals For better or worse: How more flexibility in working time arrangements and parental leave experiences affect fathers' working and childcare hours in Germany

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susanne Wanger ◽  
Ines Zapf
Keyword(s):  
Role Models ◽  
Parental Leave ◽  
Working Hours ◽  
Work And Family ◽  
Working Time ◽  
Traditional Role ◽  
Use Of Time ◽  
Flexible Working Hours ◽  
Flexible Working ◽  
The One

Objective: In this study, we investigate the effect of flexible working time arrangements and parental leave experiences on the actual working and childcare hours of men. Background: Many fathers want to spend more time with their children and actively participate in family life, but, after becoming a parent, most work even more hours than before. To better combine work and family, the possibility of flexible working time arrangements might play a crucial role for fathers, also to become more involved in childcare activities. Method: We use longitudinal data of the German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) to examine how flexible working time arrangements, parental leave experiences, working hours, and childcare hours are related. Based on data between 2013 and 2019, panel regression models were estimated. Results: The results show that a change from fixed to flexible working time regulations leads to an increase in working hours for men and fathers. The longer working hours of fathers go hand in hand with a reduction in the time spent on childcare activities when switching to flexible working time arrangements. However, experiences with parental leave in connection with flexible working hours show a change in the use of time. Conclusion: Flexible working time regulations prove to be ambivalent for fathers: On the one hand, they offer fathers new leeway, on the other hand, due to traditional role models, they lead to longer working hours and thus less participation in childcare; but parental leave experiences make a difference, which indicates the importance of these regulations for fathers.

Working Long Hours and Its Impact on Family Life: Experiences of Women Professionals and Managers in Sri Lanka

2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 108-126 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thilakshi Kodagoda
Keyword(s):  
Family Life ◽  
Women Professionals ◽  
Life Experiences ◽  
Working Hours ◽  
Work And Family ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Full Time Employment ◽  
Experiences Of Women

Worldwide studies of professional and managerial dual-earner couples in specific professions have indicated that with the double burdens of work and family, working long hours limit women’s career aspirations. Based on in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 40 respondents, this article examines how long working hours in the banking and health sectors impact professional and managerial mothers’ family life and health, and how the latter perceive motherhood roles. Though there was evidence of negative effects of long hours especially on childcare and children’s cognitive development, while rationalising their decision on combining motherhood and paid work, mothers interviewed valued their full-time employment.

Top managers and the gendered interplay of organizations and family life: the case of Iceland

2018 ◽  
Vol 33 (8) ◽  
pp. 602-622 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ólöf Júlíusdóttir ◽  
Guðbjörg Linda Rafnsdóttir ◽  
Þorgerður Einarsdóttir
Keyword(s):  
Gender Equality ◽  
Family Life ◽  
Family Relations ◽  
Gender Diversity ◽  
Working Hours ◽  
Work And Family ◽  
Organizational Practices ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Business Leadership ◽  
Content Type

PurposeIceland, along with the other Nordic countries, is seen as an international frontrunner in gender equality and equal sharing of responsibility for paid and unpaid work is part of the official ideology. Nevertheless, the number of women in leadership positions remains low. The purpose of this study is to analyse the practices that (re)produce power imbalances between women and men in business leadership both at the macro and the micro levels. This is done by using two theoretical explanations: gendered organizational practices and the interplay of organizations and family life.Design/methodology/approachThe mixed methods are applied by analysing 51, semi-structured interviews with female and male business leaders and survey data from CEOs and executives from the 250 largest companies in Iceland.FindingsThe analyses reveal gender differences and asymmetries in work life as well as within the family. Men have longer working hours than women, higher salaries and more job-related travelling. Women carry the dual burden of work and family to a higher degree than do men. By questioning and attempting to resist the organizational culture women risk further disadvantage. The situation of male and female leaders is therefore incomparable. This is a paradox and does not fit with the idea of the Nordic gender equality of a dual breadwinner society.Originality/valueIt is shown that lack of gender diversity in business leadership is based on gendered organizational practices as well as on power relations within families. These two aspects are mutually reinforcing and the originality of the study is to explore the interplay between them. The authors conclude that despite being the country at the forefront of gender equality in the world, neither organizational practices nor family relations recognize the different life experiences of women and men in Iceland. This is expressed in organizational practices and different access to time and support, which may hinder gaining gender equality in top leadership.

Review of Work and Family Life.

1988 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 270-271
Author(s):  
Kelly Piner
Keyword(s):  
Family Life ◽  
Work And Family

Integrating Work and Family Life: “Should I Call You Dr. Mommy?”

PsycCRITIQUES ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 50 (19) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nadine J. Kaslow ◽  
Melanie J. Bliss
Keyword(s):  
Family Life ◽  
Work And Family

Flexible working hours and individual diurnal rhythms

1973 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paula Patkai ◽  
Kerstin Pettersson ◽  
Torbjorn Akerstedt
Keyword(s):  
Working Hours ◽  
Diurnal Rhythms ◽  
Flexible Working Hours ◽  
Flexible Working

A Study on the Impact of Family-friendly Certification on Financial Performance of SMEs: Focusing on the Manufacturing Industry

2019 ◽  
Vol 118 (2) ◽  
pp. 7-12
Author(s):  
Ok-Hee Park ◽  
Kwan-sik Na ◽  
Seok-Kee Lee
Keyword(s):  
Financial Performance ◽  
Family Life ◽  
Manufacturing Industry ◽  
Work And Family ◽  
Family Friendly ◽  
The Future ◽  
The Impact

Background/Objectives: The purpose of the paper is to examine how family-friendly certificates introduced to pursue the compatibility of work and family life affect the financial performance of small and medium-sized manufacturers, and to provide useful information to companies considering the introduction of this system in the future.

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