Transcript Clem Herman - The Open University

Becoming a mother in science,
engineering and technology: The impact
of career breaks and part time work
Clem Herman Open University UK
Suzan Lewis University of
Middlesex UK
Academy of Management
7-11 August 2009 - Chicago
Research context
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Research carried out as part of EU funded WiST project
(Women in Science and Technology)
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Theoretical framework - gendered organisations (Ackers 1990)
Organisations think they are gender neutral
BUT still operate with gendered assumptions eg
 separate spheres: work = male domain, domestic = female
 ideal workers are available and visible
 male competencies are valued eg crisis management
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Most “work-life” initiatives by companies remain at the level of
formal policies. These have limited impact if deep seated
organisational values and rules are not challenged. (Lewis and
Smithson, 2006; Rapoport, Bailyn, Fletcher and Pruitt, 2002)
Methodology
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In depth interviews x 63 (53 women 10 men)
Professional engineers and scientists – also
some HR
Sectors – energy, IT, pharmaceuticals
Countries – France, Netherlands, Italy, UK
(plus small sample from Germany, Estonia,
Russia, Canada)
Recorded, transcribed and thematically
analysed
Key findings
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1.
Parents/families (micro-level) – Concerns are stress, quality of life,
income levels
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Perception of need to sacrifice career potential and progression
in order to reconcile working and family life. Usually expressed
as a personal choice rather than seen as systemic problem.
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2. Employers (meso-level) – concerns are retention and return on
investment (the business case)
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Work life balance policies can have the unintended
consequence of reinforcing gender stereotyping within the
workplace if it is only mothers/female carers that make use of
these and not fathers or male carers.
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3. Policy makers (macro-level) – concerns are economic and social
welfare - discourses reflect underlying assumptions about gender roles
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National context eg social welfare policy, hours of work and
assumptions about gender roles have significant impact even in
global companies – but global context encourages individuals to
question local norms
Attitudes to motherhood
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“a lot of women with babies are not working full time so I was
considered as not working full time – I WAS working full time but
I was a mother so I couldn’t get the job I wanted. They
considered that I wasn’t working full time”
Research Manager - France
“there tend to be a lot of assumptions made about what
mothers can or can’t do. There are all kind of trips being
discussed: “lets’ not ask [S] because she can’t go.” …Maybe I’m
not able to go but I’d at least have liked to have been asked”
Thermal conversion technologist - Netherlands
Organisational cultures
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Availability and visibility considered crucial for progression
[when you are part time] “you don’t get the highly visible projects
with a lot of exposure to the rest of the organisation which is
generally seen as the best way to go to have a good career”
Chemical engineer - Netherlands
Gendered organisations
Half the people here are women but there are few women - 2 or
3% who are in management roles, there are so few that I know
them all by name! They are all an exception to the rule… I think
it’s a cultural thing. The whole industry is for real men and I think
that it is possible to change but I don’t think this company wants
it to change
Geophysicist, Italy
Sustainable careers?
Some evidence of changing models of career
progression and development (eg increased
promotion options for part timers and returners from
career breaks, flexibility and remote working)
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I think especially very young men, 30 years old for example who
had babies in the last two or three last years... ask us in
interview if they can keep their Wednesday... I think that there is
a change in the men.
HR Manager France
Discussion: Future research and
Practical implications
Assumptions about motherhood prevent many women from
aspiring to career advancement, which is viewed as requiring
unacceptable demands on their working time
Social policy discourses and gender role norms in different
countries impact on how gender is played out within company
culture – but companies can lead the way for change
Gendered notion of ideal employees who work continuously and
full time needs to be challenged
Need to move beyond policies towards processes for achieving
systemic culture change.