Families

2021 ◽  
pp. 131-156
Author(s):  
Swethaa S. Ballakrishnen
Keyword(s):  
Life Course ◽  
Maternity Leave ◽  
High Growth ◽  
Law Firms ◽  
Legal Services ◽  
Career Trajectory ◽  
System A ◽  
Family Balance ◽  
Work Family ◽  
Elite Professions

This chapter traces the role of families and life course in determining the unlikely gender outcomes found in large law firms. The advantage of the legal profession is that the career trajectory allows for a more progressive work–family balance. In particular, women in elite law firms typically start their careers in their early twenties and are in a position to become partner in their early thirties — this timeline for promotion allows women to be in positions of power while they negotiate childcare and maternity leave, whereas women in other elite professions tend to be junior colleagues when they make agentic life-course choices and are penalized accordingly. Yet, the fact remains that the structural career trajectory in these law firms was not introduced to make women more competitive candidates for partnership, but instead, emerged as a response to a concentrated, high-growth legal services market. The chapter then highlights the ways in which this unprecedented success for Indian middle-class women in the workforce depends on two existing inequalities in the grander Indian system: a ready, caste-dependent labor force that supplies affordable housework support and childcare; and a penultimate generation of close female family members who are not in the workforce and are available to provide free and ready household support systems.

Understanding the Mommy Tracks in the IT Workforce

2011 ◽  
pp. 1178-1183
Author(s):  
Jeria L. Quesenberry ◽  
Eileen M. Trauth
Keyword(s):  
Maternity Leave ◽  
Family Balance ◽  
Women's Participation ◽  
It Workforce ◽  
Family Issues ◽  
Work Family Balance ◽  
Work Family ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Female Responses ◽  
Gender And It

Despite the recent growth in the number of women in the American labor force, women are under represented in the IT workforce. Key among the factors that account for this under representation is balancing work-family issues. Some researchers have speculated that IT work is not an ideal fit for working mothers because of long work hours, increased conflicts with family responsibilities, and the difficulty of returning after maternity leave to an industry with ever evolving technologies (Kuosa, 2000; Webster, 1996). This article reports on an empirical study that explored the influence of work-family balance on American women’s participation in the IT workforce by using the Individual Differences Theory of Gender and IT (Trauth, 2002; Trauth, Quesenberry, & Morgan, 2004; Trauth, Huang, Morgan, Quesenberry, & Yeo, 2006). In doing so, we summarize a work-family balance study presented in greater detail in Quesenberry, Morgan, and Trauth (2004) and Quesenberry, Trauth, and Morgan (2006) that articulates the ways in which individual and environmental factors influence female responses to issues of work-family balance.

Work Family Balance: Challenges, Experiences, and Implications for Families

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph G. Grzywacz ◽  
◽  
Abdallah M. Badahdah ◽  
d Azza O. Abdelmoneium
Keyword(s):  
Family Life ◽  
Maternity Leave ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Work And Family ◽  
Family Responsibilities ◽  
Working Adults ◽  
Family Balance ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Work Family Balance ◽  
Work Family

A key objective of the study of work-family balance detailed in this report was to build an evidence base to inform policy creation or refinement targeting work-family balance and related implementation standards to ensure the protection and preservation of Qatari families. Two complementary projects were designed and implemented to achieve this key objective. The first project was a qualitative study involving in-depth interviews with 20 Qatari working adults (10 males and 10 females). The interviews were designed to learn the meaning of work-family balance among Qataris, identify the factors shaping work-family balance or the lack thereof, and collect firsthand detailed information on the use and value of policy-relevant work-family balance sup - ports for working Qataris. The second component was a survey designed to describe work-family balance among working Qatari adults, determine potential health and well-being consequences of poor work-family balance, and characterize Qataris’ use of and preferences for new work-family balance supports. The data from the qualitative interviews tell a very clear story of work-family balance among Qataris. Work-family balance is primarily viewed as working adults’ ability to meet responsibilities in both the work and family domains. Although work-fam - ily balance was valued and sought after, participants viewed work-family balance as an idyllic goal that is unattainable. Indeed, when individuals were asked about the last time they experienced balance, the most common response was “during my last vacation or extended holiday.” The challenge of achieving work-family balance was equally shared by males and females, although the challenge was heightened for females. Qataris recognized that “work” was essential to securing or providing a desirable family life; that is, work provided the financial wherewithal to obtain the features and comforts of contemporary family life in Qatar. However, the cost of this financial wherewithal was work hours and a psychological toll characterized as “long” and “exhausting” which left workers with insufficient time and energy for the family. Participants commented on the absolute necessity of paid maternity leave for work-family balance, and suggested it be expanded. Participants also discussed the importance of high-quality childcare, and the need for greater flexibility for attending to family responsibilities during the working day. Data from the quantitative national survey reinforce the results from the qualitative interviews. Work-family balance is a challenge for most working adults: if work-fam - ily balance were given scores like academic grades in school, the majority of both males and females would earn a "C" or lower (average, minimal pass or failure). As intimated in the qualitative data, working females’ work-family balance is statistically poorer than that of males. Poor work-family balance is associated with poorer physical and mental health, with particularly strong negative associations with depression. It appears the Human Resource Law of 2016 was effective in raising awareness of and access to paid maternity leave. However, a substantial minority of working Qataris lack access to work-family balance supports from their employer, and the supports that are provided by employers do not meet the expectations of the average Qatari worker.

Return-to-work experiences of female employees following maternity leave

2019 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 69-92
Author(s):  
Heinrich Brand ◽  
Judite Barreiro-Lucas
Keyword(s):  
Return To Work ◽  
Corporate Culture ◽  
Work Experience ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Maternity Leave ◽  
Work Experiences ◽  
Whole Process ◽  
Family Balance ◽  
Female Employees ◽  
Work Family

Corporate culture seemingly does not encourage talented women to return to the workplace or continue to operate effectively in the workplace, while managing their domestic responsibilities. This has a direct influence on the progression of talented women to senior positions and their retention in those positions (Baggallay 2011).While the above statement may be a narrow view, considering shifts in many companies' policies which aim to support work-family balance, there are still many underlying concerns regarding working mothers.The primary purpose of this study is to identify common themes arising from the return-to-work experiences of female employees following maternity leave in South Africa.The results of this study revealed that despite viewing work positively, the participants in the study found the return-to-work experience after childbirth difficult. A significant change in the attitudes of the participants towards their careers after childbirth was also identified. This change is not necessarily negative and should not be interpreted as an indication of loss of interest by the employees in their careers. It does, however, highlight the need for adequate management of the whole process from “workplace pregnancy” to return to work of female employees.Employers open to the evolution of best practice for maternity leave will attract and retain high-calibre female talent.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document