Gender and the Economy

Tag: Careers+jobs

Research briefs, news, and event recaps related to careers and jobs.

  • Equal is not equitable: A look at gender-neutral parental leave policies in academia

    Equal is not equitable: A look at gender-neutral parental leave policies in academia

    [fusion_builder_container admin_label=”” hundred_percent=”no” equal_height_columns=”no” menu_anchor=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_position=”center center” background_repeat=”no-repeat” fade=”no” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ video_mp4=”” video_webm=”” video_ogv=”” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_loop=”yes” video_mute=”yes” video_preview_image=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” margin_top=”20″ margin_bottom=”” padding_top=”” padding_right=”” padding_bottom=”” padding_left=””][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”3_4″ layout=”3_4″ spacing=”” center_content=”no” hover_type=”none” link=”” min_height=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_position=”left top” background_repeat=”no-repeat” border_size=”0″ border_color=”” border_style=”solid” border_position=”all” padding_top=”” padding_right=”” padding_bottom=”” padding_left=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=”” last=”no”][fusion_text columns=”” column_min_width=”” column_spacing=”” rule_style=”default” rule_size=”” rule_color=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=””]

    Summary

    Childbirth and childcare have a large impact on women’s careers. Research shows that unequal childcare responsibilities slow women’s career progress, resulting in a persistent drop in earnings. In an attempt to improve the situation, many firms have adopted gender-neutral family policies in order to encourage a more equal division of labour when it comes to childcare, and help solve the gender wage gap and the promotion gap. The impact of these policies on men and women’s labour market outcomes, however, is unknown. Using data from U.S. universities that adopted gender-neutral tenure clock-stopping policies, Antecol et al. (2018) analyze the impact that gender-neutral policies have on men and women’s career outcomes.

    The researchers find that these policies led to higher initial tenure rates among men and lower initial tenure rates among women, widening the promotion gap.

    Research

    In academia, tenure evaluation is largely based on the quality and number of publications produced by an assistant professor after seven years (when they typically apply for tenure). However, because having a child limits the time available to spend on research, many institutions have adopted “clock-stopping” policies that essentially pause the tenure clock while that person is engaging in childcare for newborns. Historically, these options were only offered to female faculty members. But, more recently, to support men who want to be involved in child rearing, the policies at some schools have been made gender neutral—applying to any parent at the time a child comes into the home.

    To understand the impact of this gender-neutral clock-stopping policy, the researchers gathered data on tenure policies from 50 U.S. economics departments. The clock-stopping policies in these departments were either intended to be gender-neutral (“pause” for both men and women) or female-only. The researchers matched this data with information on the career progression of assistant professors who went up for tenure at these schools between 1985 and 2004. They then estimated how the probability of tenure changes for men and women at an institution with a gender-neutral policy versus a female-only policy. They controlled for differences in tenure institution characteristics, such as faculty size and the gender composition of faculty, as well as individual characteristics, such as an individual’s educational background.

    Findings

    A male assistant professor’s tenure probability increased by 19.4 percentage points when a clock stop is used, whereas a female assistant professor’s tenure probability decreased by 22.4 percentage points. This gap is primarily attributed to men having more time to conduct research and publish; men tend to use the leave period as a time to work whereas women tend to spend it caring for their child. More specifically, the additional time gives men the ability to resubmit rejected papers to top journals and to take more risks with regards to where they submit their work.

    Indeed, the researchers found that men exposed to a gender-neutral clock-stopping policy had 0.56 more top publications than men who went up for tenure at the same institution before the policy was implemented. There is also evidence that gender-neutral policies affect family planning. For example, fertility rates for junior faculty were higher among universities with clock-stopping policies than those without.

    This research indicates that these policies may positively impact male tenure rates, but negatively impact female tenure rates due to the unequal distribution of childcare responsibilities.

    Implications

    • Childcare responsibilities disproportionately fall on women and thus negatively impact family-policy effectiveness–Childbirth has a larger impact on women’s productivity at work. Because of these gender-specific productivity losses, extending the tenure clock for both men and women does not necessarily equalize the playing field as intended. In fact, this research indicates that it has the opposite effect. Therefore, it’s important for institutions that implement these types of policies to conduct follow-up studies in order to determine if the policies are having the desired effect, or if they’re exacerbating the problem (e.g. the promotion gap in academia). In short, equal is not necessarily equitable.
    • If norms surrounding childcare do not change, women need a tenure extension–Mothers are generally less productive at work during the first few months of a child’s life due to at-home demands. Providing female assistant professors with a longer tenure clock after giving childbirth might alleviate the gender gap in tenure. However, this same policy could also discourage men from taking leave and becoming more involved in care work. Ultimately, norms surrounding childbirth and childcare need to change for gender equality to be accomplished in the workplace.

    [/fusion_text][fusion_separator style_type=”none” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” sep_color=”” top_margin=”20″ bottom_margin=”20″ border_size=”” icon=”” icon_circle=”” icon_circle_color=”” width=”” alignment=”center” /][fusion_button link=”https://www.gendereconomy.org/research-briefs/” text_transform=”” title=”” target=”_blank” link_attributes=”” alignment=”” modal=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” color=”custom” button_gradient_top_color=”#62bd19″ button_gradient_bottom_color=”#62bd19″ button_gradient_top_color_hover=”#00c2e2″ button_gradient_bottom_color_hover=”#00c2e2″ accent_color=”” accent_hover_color=”” type=”” bevel_color=”” border_width=”” size=”” stretch=”yes” shape=”” icon=”” icon_position=”left” icon_divider=”no” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=””]See more research briefs[/fusion_button][fusion_separator style_type=”none” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” sep_color=”” top_margin=”20″ bottom_margin=”20″ border_size=”” icon=”” icon_circle=”” icon_circle_color=”” width=”” alignment=”center” /][fusion_recent_posts layout=”default” hover_type=”none” columns=”3″ number_posts=”3″ offset=”0″ pull_by=”category” cat_slug=”research-briefs” exclude_cats=”” tag_slug=”” exclude_tags=”” thumbnail=”yes” title=”yes” meta=”no” meta_author=”no” meta_categories=”no” meta_date=”yes” meta_comments=”yes” meta_tags=”no” content_alignment=”” excerpt=”no” excerpt_length=”35″ strip_html=”yes” scrolling=”no” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=”” /][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”1_4″ layout=”1_4″ spacing=”” center_content=”no” hover_type=”none” link=”” min_height=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_position=”left top” background_repeat=”no-repeat” border_size=”0″ border_color=”” border_style=”solid” border_position=”all” padding_top=”” padding_right=”” padding_bottom=”” padding_left=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=”” last=”no”][fusion_title hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”briefsummary” id=”” content_align=”left” size=”3″ font_size=”” line_height=”” letter_spacing=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” text_color=”” style_type=”none” sep_color=””]

    Title

    “Equal but Inequitable: Who Benefits from Gender-Neutral Tenure Clock Stopping Policies?

    Authors

    Heather Antecol, Kelly Bedard, and Jenna Stearns

    Institutions

    University of California, Santa Barbara

    Source

    American Economic Review

    Published

    September 2018

    DOI

    10.1257/aer.20160613

    Link

    https://www.researchgate.net/publication/327379870_Equal_but_Inequitable_Who_Benefits_from_Gender-Neutral_Tenure_Clock_Stopping_Policies

    Research brief prepared by

    Heather Sarsons

    [/fusion_title][fusion_widget_area name=”avada-custom-sidebar-researchbriefsidebar” title_size=”” title_color=”” background_color=”” padding_top=”” padding_right=”” padding_bottom=”” padding_left=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” /][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

  • Women in Capital Markets: A panel discussion

    Women in Capital Markets: A panel discussion

    [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”no” equal_height_columns=”no” menu_anchor=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_position=”center center” background_repeat=”no-repeat” fade=”no” background_parallax=”none” parallax_speed=”0.3″ video_mp4=”” video_webm=”” video_ogv=”” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_loop=”yes” video_mute=”yes” overlay_color=”” video_preview_image=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding_top=”” padding_bottom=”” padding_left=”” padding_right=”” type=”legacy”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ layout=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” border_position=”all” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding_top=”” padding_right=”” padding_bottom=”” padding_left=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” center_content=”no” last=”true” min_height=”” hover_type=”none” link=”” border_sizes_top=”” border_sizes_bottom=”” border_sizes_left=”” border_sizes_right=”” first=”true”][fusion_text columns=”” column_min_width=”” column_spacing=”” rule_style=”” rule_size=”” rule_color=”” hue=”” saturation=”” lightness=”” alpha=”” content_alignment_medium=”” content_alignment_small=”” content_alignment=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” sticky_display=”normal,sticky” class=”” id=”” margin_top=”” margin_right=”” margin_bottom=”” margin_left=”” fusion_font_family_text_font=”” fusion_font_variant_text_font=”” font_size=”” line_height=”” letter_spacing=”” text_transform=”” text_color=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_color=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_delay=”0″ animation_offset=”” logics=””]“I can’t believe we’re not further along,” was the overall sentiment that kicked-off our Women in Capital Markets panel discussion on September 13. Camilla Sutton, Founder and CEO of Women in Capital Markets (WCM), began the event with a startling statistic: in the early 1990s, 10% of Managing Directors in Capital Markets were women, just over 20 years later in 2016, it’s 12%. That’s a mere 2% increase.

    Why has there not been more progress promoting gender diversity, particularly at the managerial level, in capital markets?

    To explore this question, in collaboration with WCM, GATE brought together: Amber Choudhry, Managing Director, Debt Capital Markets at CIBC Capital Markets; Deland Kamanga, Head of Global Fixed Income Currencies and Commodities (FICC) within BMO Capital Markets; Loretta Marcoccia, SVP & Chief Administrative Officer, Global Capital Markets, Scotiabank; and Camilla Sutton, President and CEO of Women in Capital Markets in a panel discussion moderated by Sarah Kaplan, Director of the Institute for Gender and the Economy (GATE).

    From discussing the gender wage gap to risk-aversion in management and toxic organizational culture, this panel shed light not only a few reasons why the number of women haven’t increased in capital markets since the early ‘90s, but also contrasted diversity initiatives that haven’t produced significant results with some new initiatives that show more promise.

    Crowd at the WCM Panel event
    The panel discussion highlighted some important “reframes” of the issues:
    • It’s not that women are more risk-averse in seeking advancement in capital markets, it is that the managers are risk-averse in promoting them. Promoting someone always means taking a risk that they’ll succeed in the new role, and many managers are more willing to do that for men than women.
    • It’s not women having children is holding back their advancement. If that were the only problem, then we would have a highly racially diverse representation of people in capital markets, but we don’t. So, this suggests that there are forms of bias in the system holding people back.

    Many of the “best practice” approaches may not be effective on their own. Panelists highlighted a number of initiatives that may have had less impact than intended because they weren’t coupled with accountability and cultural change. For example, implementing the Rooney Rule requiring at least one minority (e.g. woman or visible minority) be interviewed for open positions. The lesson is that making one change absent broader organizational change won’t move the needle.

    Here’s what panelists believe may help make change initiatives more effective:
    • Increasing accountability of managers to apply new practices and hit targets
    • Using audits of hiring practices so that initiatives like the Rooney Rule are applied effectively
    • Increasing transparency into hiring and promotion procedures
    • Linking unconscious bias training with skills inventories in order to mitigate backlash
    • Integrating diversity and inclusion targets into professional reviews; such as requiring managers to expand their personal networks by three
    • Creating a Diversity and Inclusion Office that is visible and active on the trading floor
    • Implementing a top-down culture of change that starts with the CEO
    • Tying diversity and inclusion to the firm’s overall success

    Ultimately, uncovering why there aren’t more women in capital markets is a “must” for the industry. As Camilla Sutton stated, “Diversity use to be this ‘nice-to-have’ and then it became a business case, and now it’s become a major risk factor.” This extends not just to gender diversity, but also to other forms of diversity as well (e.g. racial, sexual). This reflects an organizational culture and structure within capital markets that are not necessarily welcoming to individuals who don’t resemble the majority demographic. Therefore, panelists suggested that solutions must also take into consideration the wider needs of all minority individuals, beyond just (white) women, in order to promote transformational change.  

    [/fusion_text][fusion_separator style_type=”none” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” sep_color=”” top_margin=”50″ bottom_margin=”50″ border_size=”” icon=”” icon_circle=”” icon_circle_color=”” width=”” alignment=”center” /][fusion_button link=”https://www.gendereconomy.org/events/” text_transform=”” title=”” target=”_blank” link_attributes=”” alignment=”” modal=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” color=”custom” button_gradient_top_color=”#62bd19″ button_gradient_bottom_color=”#62bd19″ button_gradient_top_color_hover=”#00c2e2″ button_gradient_bottom_color_hover=”#00c2e2″ accent_color=”” accent_hover_color=”” type=”” bevel_color=”” size=”” stretch=”yes” icon=”” icon_position=”left” icon_divider=”no” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=””]See more past events[/fusion_button][fusion_separator style_type=”none” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” sep_color=”” top_margin=”20″ bottom_margin=”20″ border_size=”” icon=”” icon_circle=”” icon_circle_color=”” width=”” alignment=”center” /][fusion_title margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” hide_on_mobile=”medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” size=”5″ content_align=”center” style_type=”default” sep_color=””]

    Or register below for these upcoming events

    [/fusion_title][fusion_recent_posts layout=”default” hover_type=”none” columns=”3″ number_posts=”3″ offset=”0″ pull_by=”category” cat_slug=”events” exclude_cats=”past” tag_slug=”” exclude_tags=”” thumbnail=”yes” title=”yes” meta=”no” meta_author=”no” meta_categories=”no” meta_date=”yes” meta_comments=”yes” meta_tags=”no” content_alignment=”” excerpt=”no” excerpt_length=”35″ strip_html=”yes” scrolling=”no” hide_on_mobile=”medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=”” /][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

  • How men pass as the “ideal worker”

    How men pass as the “ideal worker”

    [fusion_builder_container admin_label=”” hundred_percent=”no” equal_height_columns=”no” menu_anchor=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_position=”center center” background_repeat=”no-repeat” fade=”no” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ video_mp4=”” video_webm=”” video_ogv=”” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_loop=”yes” video_mute=”yes” video_preview_image=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” margin_top=”20″ margin_bottom=”” padding_top=”” padding_right=”” padding_bottom=”” padding_left=””][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”3_4″ layout=”3_4″ spacing=”” center_content=”no” hover_type=”none” link=”” min_height=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_position=”left top” background_repeat=”no-repeat” border_size=”0″ border_color=”” border_style=”solid” border_position=”all” padding_top=”” padding_right=”” padding_bottom=”” padding_left=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=”” last=”no”][fusion_text columns=”” column_min_width=”” column_spacing=”” rule_style=”default” rule_size=”” rule_color=”” class=”” id=””]

    Summary

    Many workplaces put pressure on employees to live up to the standards of the “ideal worker” image, where they are unimpeded by family obligations preventing them from being committed to anything outside of the job. But what about men and women who value work-life balance, and make an effort to achieve it? This study examines workers that deviate from the ideal worker image. Through interviews with consultants working at a global consulting firm, the author finds that those who reveal to their superiors their desire to achieve work-life balance are penalized, while those who obscure their efforts to achieve work-life balance (for example, through taking on local clients only, or working from home) face no such penalties. This pattern is gendered: women are more likely than men to reveal efforts to achieve work-life balance, and thus face greater penalties.

    Research

    While academics and practitioners have long paid attention to the negative consequences of work-family conflict for working mothers, attention has more recently turned to understanding its effects on working fathers.

    Findings from the 2008 National Study of the Changing Workforce survey demonstrate that the amount of work-family conflict reported by fathers in dual-earner couples has increased from 35% in 1977 to 60% in 2008.

    How, then, are men managing work-family conflict? And does it differ from how women deal with it? The article addresses these questions by examining how people navigate workplace pressure to embrace the “ideal worker” identity.

    To examine how people navigate their ideal worker identity, the author conducted interviews with 115 men and women at a U.S.-based global consulting firm, asking them about their work histories, job tasks, work hours, and future goals. While many of the consultants embraced the ideal worker image by working long hours, the author found that many of the interviewees strayed from this image by working less. Those who strayed used one of two strategies: “passing” or “revealing.”

    “Passing” was accomplished by those who altered the structure of their work in order to achieve more flexibility in their schedules. For example, consultants cultivated local or nonprofit clients who required less time and commitment than corporate clients. Others worked on internal projects and thereby avoided having to travel often, or worked from home, which helped reduce travel time. These practices allowed the consultants to avoid disclosing their desire to stray from the ideal worker image while also allowing them to “pass” as having embraced it.

    “Revealing” was practiced by those who made formal requests for help from their managers or the HR department to restructure their work schedules. These requests were both informal, such as asking to work with local clients only and avoid travel, and formal, such as asking to take parental leave. Because those who revealed made their desire to stray from the ideal worker image visible, they were penalized. Interview respondents who “revealed” describe being passed up for promotions after making requests.

    Both men and women were found to stray from the ideal worker image by making time for family and leisure commitments.

    However, more female interview participants engaged in “revealing” practices, while more male participants engaged in “passing.” These men, in turn, received higher performance evaluations. By hiding their deviation from the ideal worker image, “passing” men did not experience the negative repercussions in performance evaluations that “revealing” women did.

    Implications

    The study finds that more women revealed their deviation from the ideal worker image by making formal requests for schedule adjustments. This is likely because mothers, in particular, are targeted as beneficiaries of work/family accommodation policies, and are therefore more inclined to take advantage of them. Structuring leave policies specifically for working mothers, however, can backfire if those taking advantage of the policies subsequently face career penalties. Managers and HR personnel can overcome this problem in two ways.

    • First, they can foster a workplace culture that eschews overworking, and values work-life balance for all employees.
    • Second, they can ensure that formal accommodations to work schedules are promoted and made available to all employees, regardless of gender and parenting status. This would simultaneously demonstrate respect for those workers that have demands outside of work that are not child-related, and remove the stigma of the policies as being solely for working mothers.

    [/fusion_text][fusion_separator style_type=”none” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” sep_color=”” top_margin=”20″ bottom_margin=”20″ border_size=”” icon=”” icon_circle=”” icon_circle_color=”” width=”” alignment=”center” /][fusion_button link=”https://www.gendereconomy.org/research-briefs/” text_transform=”” title=”” target=”_blank” link_attributes=”” alignment=”” modal=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” color=”custom” button_gradient_top_color=”#62bd19″ button_gradient_bottom_color=”#62bd19″ button_gradient_top_color_hover=”#00c2e2″ button_gradient_bottom_color_hover=”#00c2e2″ accent_color=”” accent_hover_color=”” type=”” bevel_color=”” border_width=”” size=”” stretch=”yes” shape=”” icon=”” icon_position=”left” icon_divider=”no” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=””]See more research briefs[/fusion_button][fusion_separator style_type=”none” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” sep_color=”” top_margin=”20″ bottom_margin=”20″ border_size=”” icon=”” icon_circle=”” icon_circle_color=”” width=”” alignment=”center” /][fusion_recent_posts layout=”default” hover_type=”none” columns=”3″ number_posts=”3″ offset=”0″ pull_by=”category” cat_slug=”research-briefs” exclude_cats=”” tag_slug=”” exclude_tags=”” thumbnail=”yes” title=”yes” meta=”no” meta_author=”no” meta_categories=”no” meta_date=”yes” meta_comments=”yes” meta_tags=”no” content_alignment=”” excerpt=”no” excerpt_length=”35″ strip_html=”yes” scrolling=”no” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=”” /][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”1_4″ layout=”1_4″ spacing=”” center_content=”no” hover_type=”none” link=”” min_height=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_position=”left top” background_repeat=”no-repeat” border_size=”0″ border_color=”” border_style=”solid” border_position=”all” padding_top=”” padding_right=”” padding_bottom=”” padding_left=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=”” last=”no”][fusion_title margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”briefsummary” id=”” size=”3″ content_align=”left” style_type=”none” sep_color=””]

    Title

    Embracing, Passing, Revealing, and the Ideal Worker Image: How People Navigate Expected and Experienced Professional Identities

    Authors

    Erin Reid

    Institutions

    McMaster University

    Source

    Organization Science

    Published

    April 20, 2015

    Link

    https://pubsonline.informs.org/doi/abs/10.1287/orsc.2015.0975

    Research brief prepared by

    Kim de Laat[/fusion_title][fusion_widget_area name=”avada-custom-sidebar-researchbriefsidebar” title_size=”” title_color=”” background_color=”” padding_top=”” padding_right=”” padding_bottom=”” padding_left=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” /][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

  • Addressing the gender confidence gap

    Addressing the gender confidence gap

    [fusion_builder_container admin_label=”” hundred_percent=”no” equal_height_columns=”no” menu_anchor=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_position=”center center” background_repeat=”no-repeat” fade=”no” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ video_mp4=”” video_webm=”” video_ogv=”” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_loop=”yes” video_mute=”yes” video_preview_image=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” margin_top=”20″ margin_bottom=”” padding_top=”” padding_right=”” padding_bottom=”” padding_left=””][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”3_4″ layout=”3_4″ spacing=”” center_content=”no” hover_type=”none” link=”” min_height=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_position=”left top” background_repeat=”no-repeat” border_size=”0″ border_color=”” border_style=”solid” border_position=”all” padding_top=”” padding_right=”” padding_bottom=”” padding_left=”” dimension_margin=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=”” last=”no”][fusion_text columns=”” column_min_width=”” column_spacing=”” rule_style=”default” rule_size=”” rule_color=”” class=”” id=””]

    Summary

    Self-confidence is an important part of career success. It can motivate goal setting, and help in salary and promotion negotiations. Research on confidence in the workplace finds a gap in men and women’s confidence, with men being more likely to be overconfident, and women more likely to be under-confident in their skills and performance. This study addresses the confidence gap by exploring the role of gender blindness. In a series of experimental and survey studies, the authors find that when efforts are made to downplay gender differences, women’s confidence and willingness to take action increases. In effect, gender blindness can improve women’s confidence without requiring women to change their behaviour.

    Research

    Most research aiming to redress women’s workplace confidence has focused on changing women’s behaviour, or on reframing valued workplace attributes to more closely align with stereotypical gender differences. For example, by framing the male-attributed art of negotiation as a communal task and thus, more in line with feminine attributes. Such solutions, however, place the burden for change on women and implicitly suggest that women’s own behaviour is the source of their unequal treatment, rather than workplace cultures that reinforce masculine-attributed traits over feminine-attributed ones. Or, they limit women’s feelings of confidence to contexts that align with attributes that are stereotypically defined as feminine (for example, communalism or caring) and fall short of offering solutions to overcoming the confidence gap in male-dominated occupational contexts. The present study examines gender-blindness as a locus of change.

    Gender-blindness aims to downplay difference and emphasize similarities between men and women.

    The authors point out that in some contexts it can be beneficial to highlight differences between groups, for example, by promoting positive perceptions of racial diversity. However, the positive effects of highlighting difference are limited to those situations where attempts are made to replace negative stereotypical differences, as in the case of promoting racial and ethnic multiculturalism.

    In the case of gender difference, however, most stereotypical differences between men and women are positive and readily embraced by both men and women. But the value attributed to such differences varies by social context. Attributes associated with masculinity, such as agency, assertiveness, and risk-taking, are more valued in the workplace while attributes associated with femininity, such as communality and compassion, are valued in the home or are limited to a small number of female-dominated occupational contexts. The authors argue that for women working in masculine-dominated fields, gender blindness may be the more effective strategy for improving women’s self-confidence. Through a series of experimental and survey studies, the authors test the effect of gender difference versus gender blindness on self-confidence.

    Findings: The results are summarized below

    • 163 women were surveyed and given one of two conditions: one group was asked to make a list of similarities between men and women, while the other group was asked to make a list of differences. Upon completing their lists, they were asked whether they believed the differences or similarities compromised their ability to be effective leaders in the workplace. Those who were tasked with outlining gender differences, such as the tendency to perceive men as having more agency, were more likely to report feeling undermined their ability to be effective leaders than those who were tasked with outlining similarities between men and women.
    • 712 students in a male-dominated MBA program were surveyed about their gender ideologies (for example, about the extent to which they believe that differences between men and women should be acknowledged and celebrated), as well as about their confidence levels. They were then assigned an activity in which they assumed the role of a racing team manager who decides whether to race (and potentially win a large endorsement) or not race (because of an engine failure). Racing in this activity represented the riskier, action-based choice. Women who reported believing in gender-blindness were more likely to choose the option of taking action.
    • In a survey of 115 women, participants were asked to read either an article about the benefits of differences between men and women, or an article about the merits of the similarities between men and women. The third group of women was given an article about a recycling program in order to provide a baseline measure of workplace confidence. They were then asked questions about how confident they felt in their place of work. Women primed with gender-blindness (those who had read the article highlighting the similarities between men and women) felt more confident. In a related study of 132 women, this effect was found to be stronger for those who reported working in male-dominated work environments.
    • In another similar study of 126 female managers, exposure to gender-blindness led to increased identification with agentic traits (such as assertiveness and leadership), more confidence, and increased action-taking (measured in this instance through a series of role-playing scenarios such as playing blackjack and speaking in a debate).

    This article provides evidence that gender-blindness can increase women’s workplace confidence and feelings of agency.

    Implications

    • Downplaying difference – In order to promote women’s confidence, especially in male-dominated work environments, management, and HR personnel can downplay gender differences. This has the added benefit of making workplace cultures more accommodating for those who identify outside of the male/female gender binary. This can be done in a wide variety of ways such as: avoiding the unnecessary use of gendered language in corporate correspondence, and using the term “people” instead of men and women; providing access to gender-inclusive bathrooms; ensuring that tasks are distributed fairly and evenly between male and female employees; and avoiding gender-essentializing stereotypes in written communication and workplace activities (for instance, avoiding gendered team-building activities where men play golf and women go to the spa, or through associating the colour pink with women, and blue with men).
    • Modeling “feminine” attributes – In addition to promoting gender blindness or downplaying gender differences in male-dominated workplace environments, those in leadership positions can model attributes that deviate from those deemed stereotypically masculine, such as adopting a communal leadership style and modeling empathy, as a way of broadening the scope of attributes that are valued and rewarded in organizational contexts.

    [/fusion_text][fusion_separator style_type=”none” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” sep_color=”” top_margin=”20″ bottom_margin=”20″ border_size=”” icon=”” icon_circle=”” icon_circle_color=”” width=”” alignment=”center” /][fusion_button link=”https://www.gendereconomy.org/research-briefs/” text_transform=”” title=”” target=”_blank” link_attributes=”” alignment=”” modal=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” color=”custom” button_gradient_top_color=”#62bd19″ button_gradient_bottom_color=”#62bd19″ button_gradient_top_color_hover=”#00c2e2″ button_gradient_bottom_color_hover=”#00c2e2″ accent_color=”” accent_hover_color=”” type=”” bevel_color=”” border_width=”” size=”” stretch=”yes” shape=”” icon=”” icon_position=”left” icon_divider=”no” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=””]See more research briefs[/fusion_button][fusion_separator style_type=”none” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” sep_color=”” top_margin=”20″ bottom_margin=”20″ border_size=”” icon=”” icon_circle=”” icon_circle_color=”” width=”” alignment=”center” /][fusion_recent_posts layout=”default” hover_type=”none” columns=”3″ number_posts=”3″ offset=”0″ pull_by=”category” cat_slug=”research-briefs” exclude_cats=”” tag_slug=”” exclude_tags=”” thumbnail=”yes” title=”yes” meta=”no” meta_author=”no” meta_categories=”no” meta_date=”yes” meta_comments=”yes” meta_tags=”no” content_alignment=”” excerpt=”no” excerpt_length=”35″ strip_html=”yes” scrolling=”no” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=”” /][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”1_4″ layout=”1_4″ spacing=”” center_content=”no” hover_type=”none” link=”” min_height=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_position=”left top” background_repeat=”no-repeat” border_size=”0″ border_color=”” border_style=”solid” border_position=”all” padding_top=”” padding_right=”” padding_bottom=”” padding_left=”” dimension_margin=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=”” last=”no”][fusion_title margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”briefsummary” id=”” size=”3″ content_align=”left” style_type=”none” sep_color=””]

    Title

    What “blindness” to gender differences helps women see and so: Implications for confidence, agency, and action in male-dominated environments

    Authors

    Ashley E. Martin and Katherine W. Phillips

    Institutions

    Columbia Business School

    Source

    Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes

    Published

    2017

    Link

    https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0749597816300784

    Research brief prepared by

    Kim de Laat[/fusion_title][fusion_widget_area name=”avada-custom-sidebar-researchbriefsidebar” title_size=”” title_color=”” background_color=”” padding_top=”” padding_right=”” padding_bottom=”” padding_left=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” /][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

  • Women-focused co-working spaces increase in Canada

    Women-focused co-working spaces increase in Canada

  • Examining gender variation in MBA career paths

    Examining gender variation in MBA career paths

    [fusion_builder_container admin_label=”” hundred_percent=”no” equal_height_columns=”no” menu_anchor=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_position=”center center” background_repeat=”no-repeat” fade=”no” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ video_mp4=”” video_webm=”” video_ogv=”” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_loop=”yes” video_mute=”yes” video_preview_image=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” margin_top=”20″ margin_bottom=”” padding_top=”” padding_right=”” padding_bottom=”” padding_left=””][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”3_4″ layout=”3_4″ spacing=”” center_content=”no” hover_type=”none” link=”” min_height=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_position=”left top” background_repeat=”no-repeat” border_size=”0″ border_color=”” border_style=”solid” border_position=”all” padding_top=”” padding_right=”” padding_bottom=”” padding_left=”” dimension_margin=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=”” last=”no”][fusion_text columns=”” column_min_width=”” column_spacing=”” rule_style=”default” rule_size=”” rule_color=”” class=”” id=””]

    Summary

    This paper analyzes the career choices and trajectories of MBA graduates, and whether these vary by gender. Interviews with men and women twelve years after graduating with an MBA reveal that careers followed one of three pathways: (1) lockstep employment, in which graduates remain in the same job; (2) transitory employment, in which graduates transition between three or more jobs; and (3) career exit. Men and women followed the lockstep career path in similar numbers, however, their experiences with transitory employment and career exit differ. Through the transitory career pathway, men more often experienced an accelerated career and continued salary growth. By contrast, women following this career path more often experienced stalled careers, which included decreases in their most recent salary, or the inability to move up via promotion or pay. Women more frequently exited the workforce than men.

    Research

    While women’s MBA graduation rates have increased significantly in the past 40 years, research demonstrates that female MBA holders lag behind their male counterparts with regard to pay and promotion. The authors of this study conducted 73 life history interviews with MBA graduates twelve years after graduation, in order to examine the factors contributing to diverging pathways of men and women who have similar starting points.

    28 women and 45 men were interviewed about their college and early work trajectories; experiences with the MBA; work/family balance; life after the MBA; current work experiences; and future expectations.

    The data revealed three distinct career pathways for MBA alumni: (1) lockstep careers, (2) transitory careers, and (3) exiting careers.

    • Lockstep careers – The majority of men and women experiencing this type of career path worked for a large employer, received multiple promotions, and remained with the same organization. Twenty-six percent of MBA men and 32 percent of MBA women were represented in this category. Both men and women following this trajectory indicated that promotions were relatively seamless and attainable in their work organizations. Also of importance was the workplace flexibility they were afforded, both through informal arrangements made with superiors, and through formal policies, such as parental leave, that were available.
    • Transitory careers – The majority of MBA graduates fell into the transitory career pathway category, with 70 percent of men and 50 percent of women have worked for between four and six employers within a ten-year period. Transitory workers more often reported obstacles to promotion that motivated them to seek out new employment opportunities. They also reported receiving little support from bosses for workplace flexibility. Subsequently, 25 percent of women and 15 percent of men in this group reported switching jobs to achieve better work/life balance. Notably, on this path, men fared better than women when moving to new organizations. Sixty-six percent of men in this group reported having accelerated careers, where they enjoyed continuous opportunities for promotion and salary increases as they transitioned between jobs. By contrast, the majority of women in this group (57 percent) reported having stalled careers, where opportunities for advancement between jobs was stagnant, and they did not experience salary raises as they moved between jobs.
    • Exiting careers – The exit career path represented the smallest number of MBA graduates. Eighteen percent of women and four percent of men reported leaving their careers altogether. Both women and men following the exit trajectory reported feeling sidelined in their career prior to exit. They reported leaving both due to work constraints, such as being laid off or generally unhappy in their previous position, as well as due to family obligations, such as needing to provide childcare or support elderly parents. The MBAs in this category did not anticipate returning to work, nor where they looking for job opportunities.

    This study points to the significance of the transitory career pathway for a majority of MBA graduates, and how this trajectory differs for men and women.

    When people have short work histories, gender may serve as a biased indicator of quality that employers use to assess female candidates.

    In particular, women in their twenties and thirties may be stereotyped as less committed owing to their status (or would-be status) as mothers, and subsequently offered fewer vertical opportunities for advancement. This finding is important for career specializations beyond the MBA, given that tenure at any one company is increasingly shorter for a wide swath of the working population.

    Implications

    • Promotions – When there are clear steps to promotion that are accessible to people at the start of their careers, women may advance more easily. Management and HR personnel can ensure that requirements for promotion are clearly explained to entry-level workers.
    • Retention – Employee retention also increases when employers provide a range of workplace flexibility options. Managers and HR personnel can encourage the use of both informal arrangements made on an individual basis, and formal policies that are widely implemented for both men and women.
    • Resume reviews – Women may be particularly discriminated against for having short job tenures when they apply to a new job opening. Hiring personnel may consider adopting “blind” resume reviews to mitigate bias that women and mothers experience when attempting to switch jobs.

    [/fusion_text][fusion_separator style_type=”none” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” sep_color=”” top_margin=”20″ bottom_margin=”20″ border_size=”” icon=”” icon_circle=”” icon_circle_color=”” width=”” alignment=”center” /][fusion_button link=”https://www.gendereconomy.org/research-briefs/” text_transform=”” title=”” target=”_blank” link_attributes=”” alignment=”” modal=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” color=”custom” button_gradient_top_color=”#62bd19″ button_gradient_bottom_color=”#62bd19″ button_gradient_top_color_hover=”#00c2e2″ button_gradient_bottom_color_hover=”#00c2e2″ accent_color=”” accent_hover_color=”” type=”” bevel_color=”” border_width=”” size=”” stretch=”yes” shape=”” icon=”” icon_position=”left” icon_divider=”no” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=””]See more research briefs[/fusion_button][fusion_separator style_type=”none” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” sep_color=”” top_margin=”20″ bottom_margin=”20″ border_size=”” icon=”” icon_circle=”” icon_circle_color=”” width=”” alignment=”center” /][fusion_recent_posts layout=”default” hover_type=”none” columns=”3″ number_posts=”3″ offset=”0″ pull_by=”category” cat_slug=”research-briefs” exclude_cats=”” tag_slug=”” exclude_tags=”” thumbnail=”yes” title=”yes” meta=”no” meta_author=”no” meta_categories=”no” meta_date=”yes” meta_comments=”yes” meta_tags=”no” content_alignment=”” excerpt=”no” excerpt_length=”35″ strip_html=”yes” scrolling=”no” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=”” /][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”1_4″ layout=”1_4″ spacing=”” center_content=”no” hover_type=”none” link=”” min_height=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_position=”left top” background_repeat=”no-repeat” border_size=”0″ border_color=”” border_style=”solid” border_position=”all” padding_top=”” padding_right=”” padding_bottom=”” padding_left=”” dimension_margin=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=”” last=”no”][fusion_title margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”briefsummary” id=”” size=”3″ content_align=”left” style_type=”none” sep_color=””]

    Title

    Gender and the MBA: Differences in Career Trajectories, Institutional Support, and Outcomes

    Authors

    Sarah E. Patterson; Sarah Damaske; Christen Sheroff

    Institutions

    The Pennsylvania State University

    Source

    Gender & Society

    Published

    April 2017

    Link

    http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0891243217703630

    Research brief prepared by

    Kim de Laat[/fusion_title][fusion_widget_area name=”avada-custom-sidebar-researchbriefsidebar” title_size=”” title_color=”” background_color=”” padding_top=”” padding_right=”” padding_bottom=”” padding_left=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” /][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

  • How to get paid fairly

    How to get paid fairly

  • The damaging effect of gendered views of work-life balance

    The damaging effect of gendered views of work-life balance

    [fusion_builder_container admin_label=”” hundred_percent=”no” equal_height_columns=”no” menu_anchor=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_position=”center center” background_repeat=”no-repeat” fade=”no” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ video_mp4=”” video_webm=”” video_ogv=”” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_loop=”yes” video_mute=”yes” video_preview_image=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” margin_top=”20″ margin_bottom=”” padding_top=”” padding_right=”” padding_bottom=”” padding_left=””][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”3_4″ layout=”3_4″ spacing=”” center_content=”no” hover_type=”none” link=”” min_height=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_position=”left top” background_repeat=”no-repeat” border_size=”0″ border_color=”” border_style=”solid” border_position=”all” padding_top=”” padding_right=”” padding_bottom=”” padding_left=”” dimension_margin=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=”” last=”no”][fusion_text columns=”” column_min_width=”” column_spacing=”” rule_style=”default” rule_size=”” rule_color=”” class=”” id=””]

    Summary

    This study explores how men and women think about work-life balance and how these narratives impact family-friendly policies in the workplace. Specifically looking at STEM workers in the oil and gas industry, the study identifies how employees express their desire for work-life balance, and how those desires are articulated, or not, to their employers. The study finds significant differences in how men and women conceptualize balance but also finds that both men and women are unmotivated to push their employers for policy changes, albeit for different reasons. Mothers and prospective mothers experience intense work-life conflict, but view the conflict as resulting from personal choices. Fathers, in contrast, express satisfaction with their work-family balance, when supported by a traditional gendered division of labour at home. As a result, current policies intended to support work-life balance for men and women, such as flex-time arrangements, may only support the careers of men with traditionally gendered family arrangements.

    Research

    Researchers distributed a survey to scientists and engineers working at a large multinational oil and gas company based in the US. Three years after the survey was administered, respondents were invited to participate in follow up interviews. Interviews were conducted with 43 scientists and engineers (24 men and 19 women). The average age of the respondents was 33, and the majority of participants were white (37 of 43). The high percentage of white participants highlights the underrepresentation of racial and ethnic minorities in the field and indicates that the perspectives represented in this study originate from a place of racial privilege. The median income of the sample was $155,000, placing respondents in the top five percent of all income earners in the US, also indicating that the narratives assessed in this study represent positions of class privilege. Interviewees were asked to reflect and elaborate on their reasons for entering the industry, work experience, and career aspirations. Interviews addressed career development and progression. Work-family conflict and work-life balance were not the focus of the interviews, but the topic emerged in every dialogue. Narrative accounts were analyzed with the goal of understanding how respondents’ own views of their career paths perpetuate or resist gender inequality.

    Findings: Gendered approaches to reconciling family with career ambitions

    Interview results found that women struggle to deal with the pressures of work and family, without significant support from partners or employers. Work-family conflict was the dominant theme with all women interviewed and concern about their abilities to reconcile motherhood with career ambition was pervasive. Women did not feel that they were able to achieve work-life balance that supported their careers and described being overlooked for promotions or professional development after taking time off to care for children. Feeling trapped between the demands of their work and family, many women chose to leave their positions. Women who continued to work said that they are exhausted from having “two full-time careers.”

    The women interviewed characterized their decision to have a family as a personal choice. The dominant narrative around choice resulted in women viewing their needs for work-life balance as separate from the realm of responsibility of their employer.

    As such, women have little to no expectation that their employer should provide accommodations to enable them to continue in their careers, nor do they consider joining with other employees to make a collective push for more effective policies. Women spoke of their choice to have children, but they did not acknowledge how the choices they made subsequent to having children were structured by the circumstances of their workplace. Not feeling entitled to ask for supportive work arrangements, opting out of careers felt like the only option for most women.

    Family-friendly policies such as flex-time or telecommuting are intended to assist parents in managing the balance of work and family, but many organizations in the oil and gas industry favour occasional and personalized flexible work arrangements over policies that are universal and affect all employees. Implementation of policies is voluntary, and employees often need to bargain directly with their supervisors for special arrangements. Women interviewed expressed anxiety over the subjective nature of policy application. Interviewees also felt that expressing discontent was taboo and resistance to policies that did not adequately balance work and family was not an option.

    The women and men interviewed all sought work-life balance, but only men felt that they were able to achieve it. Women were resigned to leaving their jobs if they started a family, but men saw balance as within their reach. Interestingly, for the men interviewed, accommodation and balance do not equate with time-off, in fact, it means the opposite.

    Men viewed the freedom to work long hours as a type of balance; prioritizing family meant working more hours in order to climb the corporate ladder.

    Many of the men interviewed had stay-at-home spouses who took on the roles of childcare and homemaking to facilitate this commitment to career. As an example, male interviewees cited the 9-80 policy, which involves working 80 hours over nine days (as opposed to ten), enabling employees to take every other Friday off of work. This policy was described by men as contributing to balance, even though it meant longer workdays. No women interviewed viewed the 9-80 policy as mitigating the stress of work-life balance. In addition, men who had families felt more secure in their career paths than their female counterparts. They were comfortable turning down assignments and were not concerned that doing so would be detrimental to their career.

    Implications

    • Current approaches to family-friendly policies in the oil and gas industry do not result in gender equality – Family-friendly policies that are voluntary, require the support of a supervisor or director, and do not offer true on-going reductions in hours or workload do not support women. These policies only serve the needs of male employees, particularly those with stay-at-home partners, and as such further entrench the unbalanced representation of men in this workforce.
    • Change to policies that support families will not happen organically – This study arose out of a belief that the millennial generation, who favour work-life balance, will push for organizational change that will support families. This study uncovered how men and women conceptualize work-life balance differently. Men and women both desire work-life balance, but they do not request accommodations for reasons that are gendered. Women do not view work-life balance as possible, whereas men do not feel that accommodations are necessary to achieve balance. This gendered discourse of balance helps to explain why organizational change has not taken place to date, as both genders do not expect companies to provide accommodations beyond those already provided. As such, innovative changes to family-friendly policies are not likely to result from internal pressure from employees. Advocates for working parents should focus on state interventions, instead of pressuring companies to implement voluntary family-friendly policies.

    [/fusion_text][fusion_separator style_type=”none” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” sep_color=”” top_margin=”20″ bottom_margin=”20″ border_size=”” icon=”” icon_circle=”” icon_circle_color=”” width=”” alignment=”center” /][fusion_button link=”https://www.gendereconomy.org/research-briefs/” text_transform=”” title=”” target=”_blank” link_attributes=”” alignment=”” modal=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” color=”custom” button_gradient_top_color=”#62bd19″ button_gradient_bottom_color=”#62bd19″ button_gradient_top_color_hover=”#00c2e2″ button_gradient_bottom_color_hover=”#00c2e2″ accent_color=”” accent_hover_color=”” type=”” bevel_color=”” border_width=”” size=”” stretch=”yes” shape=”” icon=”” icon_position=”left” icon_divider=”no” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=””]See more research briefs[/fusion_button][fusion_separator style_type=”none” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” sep_color=”” top_margin=”20″ bottom_margin=”20″ border_size=”” icon=”” icon_circle=”” icon_circle_color=”” width=”” alignment=”center” /][fusion_recent_posts layout=”default” hover_type=”none” columns=”3″ number_posts=”3″ offset=”0″ pull_by=”category” cat_slug=”research-briefs” exclude_cats=”” tag_slug=”” exclude_tags=”” thumbnail=”yes” title=”yes” meta=”no” meta_author=”no” meta_categories=”no” meta_date=”yes” meta_comments=”yes” meta_tags=”no” content_alignment=”” excerpt=”no” excerpt_length=”35″ strip_html=”yes” scrolling=”no” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=”” /][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”1_4″ layout=”1_4″ spacing=”” center_content=”no” hover_type=”none” link=”” min_height=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_position=”left top” background_repeat=”no-repeat” border_size=”0″ border_color=”” border_style=”solid” border_position=”all” padding_top=”” padding_right=”” padding_bottom=”” padding_left=”” dimension_margin=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=”” last=”no”][fusion_title margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”briefsummary” id=”” size=”3″ content_align=”left” style_type=”none” sep_color=””]

    Title

    The Gendered Discourse of Work-Family Balance in the Oil and Gas Industry

    Authors

    Christine L. Williams

    Institutions

    University of Texas, Austin

    Source

    Social Currents

    Published

    December 2017

    Link

    http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2329496517748334

    Research brief prepared by

    Alyson Colón[/fusion_title][fusion_widget_area name=”avada-custom-sidebar-researchbriefsidebar” title_size=”” title_color=”” background_color=”” padding_top=”” padding_right=”” padding_bottom=”” padding_left=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” /][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

  • The cultural underpinnings of sex segregation

    The cultural underpinnings of sex segregation

    [fusion_builder_container admin_label=”” hundred_percent=”no” equal_height_columns=”no” menu_anchor=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_position=”center center” background_repeat=”no-repeat” fade=”no” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ video_mp4=”” video_webm=”” video_ogv=”” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_loop=”yes” video_mute=”yes” video_preview_image=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” margin_top=”20″ margin_bottom=”” padding_top=”” padding_right=”” padding_bottom=”” padding_left=””][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”3_4″ layout=”3_4″ spacing=”” center_content=”no” hover_type=”none” link=”” min_height=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_position=”left top” background_repeat=”no-repeat” border_size=”0″ border_color=”” border_style=”solid” border_position=”all” padding_top=”” padding_right=”” padding_bottom=”” padding_left=”” dimension_margin=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=”” last=”no”][fusion_text columns=”” column_min_width=”” column_spacing=”” rule_style=”default” rule_size=”” rule_color=”” class=”” id=””]

    Summary

    This paper examines how professional socialization may perpetuate occupational sex segregation. The authors use a unique set of data – diary entries and interviews – to show how college students’ socialization into the field of engineering leads women to believe that they are a “bad fit” for engineering culture, making it more likely that they will exit the profession. The authors identify three processes through which the “bad fit” feeling is cemented: (1) orientation to engineering at college entry, (2) initiation rituals in coursework and (3) team projects, and socialization during internships and summer jobs. Throughout each process, female engineering students share experiences that differ from those of their male counterparts. As these experiences accumulate over the course of their four years in the program, women are confronted with the feeling that they may not belong in engineering, while men’s experiences equip them with confidence to embrace their identities as budding engineers.

    Research

    While much has been written about the ways that occupational prestige and individual preferences influence sex segregation in labour markets, less is known about how factors unique to occupations, such as professional culture, may also perpetuate sex segregation.

    The authors of this study examine the field of engineering in order to refine our understanding of how professional culture may influence the likelihood of sex segregation.

    They followed engineering cohorts at four colleges in the U.S. and had 40 students fill out diary entries in which they reflect on their experiences in the program. In addition to the bi-monthly diary entries, they conducted interviews with 100 students during the first and fourth year of the program. Students highlighted three major processes through which their socialization into the field of engineering was cemented: (1) orientation to engineering at college entry, (2) initiation rituals in coursework and team projects, and (3) socialization during internships and summer jobs.

    Findings: Men and women experience socialization differently

    While everyone entered the program with a strong careerist orientation, women were more likely to acknowledge their desire to use their career as a way of helping people (for example, by engaging in humanitarian work). By contrast, men did not express an interest in using their career to create social change and instead signaled their interest in opportunities to solve problems.

    Following this initial difference in orientation, men and women were both exposed to a newly emerging pecking order, where they were no longer the top of their class. While both men and women experienced fear about whether they have what it takes to make it through the program, women were more likely to seek validation from their peers and professors for reassurance that they possess the technical competency to be an engineer. On the other hand, when male students received a low grade, it did not shake their confidence in their abilities, and they were more likely to blame poor performance on bad time management, or some other set of external factors.

    In addition to navigating new pecking orders, the diary entries singled out the importance of teamwork for informing students’ understanding of engineering culture.

    In instances of group work, women were more likely to experience exclusion and were relegated to menial or administrative tasks by their male peers. By contrast, male students had positive experiences with group work, which they perceived as providing them the opportunity to “show their stuff” and hone their identity as engineers.

    The final process that reinforced students’ perceptions of engineering culture was the experience of internships. Many female students wrote about their encounters with sexism and marginalization: they experienced sexual harassment and reported being assigned menial tasks by senior managers while male interns were assigned more technical engineering work. This differs markedly from men’s experiences, where their internships cemented their self-confidence in their skills and validated their decision to pursue engineering as a career.

    Women’s cumulative experiences throughout the four-year program reinforced a feeling that they weren’t a good fit for engineering; they find out that their career orientations differ from those of men, and they experience blatant sexism and stereotyping, resulting in estrangement from, rather than attachment to, engineering as a profession. The authors conclude that the day-to-day experiences with cultures of male-dominated professions during the formative years of socialization may be an important predictor of women’s exit from such fields.

    Implications

    • Team culture – While teamwork settings are often assumed to facilitate opportunities for women, such settings may actually reinforce gender inequality. Those in charge of managing team-based projects can ensure that women are not tokenized in such settings by filling teams with equal numbers of men and women, or at a minimum, filling teams with no fewer than three women. Doing so may provide women with sufficient power in numbers to prevent the women in such teams from being assigned menial tasks.
    • Leadership education – Because much of the marginalization that female students experience occurs on job sites, efforts to educate leaders about gender discrimination in male-dominated fields may likewise mitigate women’s negative experiences.

    [/fusion_text][fusion_separator style_type=”none” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” sep_color=”” top_margin=”20″ bottom_margin=”20″ border_size=”” icon=”” icon_circle=”” icon_circle_color=”” width=”” alignment=”center” /][fusion_button link=”https://www.gendereconomy.org/research-briefs/” text_transform=”” title=”” target=”_blank” link_attributes=”” alignment=”” modal=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” color=”custom” button_gradient_top_color=”#62bd19″ button_gradient_bottom_color=”#62bd19″ button_gradient_top_color_hover=”#00c2e2″ button_gradient_bottom_color_hover=”#00c2e2″ accent_color=”” accent_hover_color=”” type=”” bevel_color=”” border_width=”” size=”” stretch=”yes” shape=”” icon=”” icon_position=”left” icon_divider=”no” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=””]See more research briefs[/fusion_button][fusion_separator style_type=”none” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” sep_color=”” top_margin=”20″ bottom_margin=”20″ border_size=”” icon=”” icon_circle=”” icon_circle_color=”” width=”” alignment=”center” /][fusion_recent_posts layout=”default” hover_type=”none” columns=”3″ number_posts=”3″ offset=”0″ pull_by=”category” cat_slug=”research-briefs” exclude_cats=”” tag_slug=”” exclude_tags=”” thumbnail=”yes” title=”yes” meta=”no” meta_author=”no” meta_categories=”no” meta_date=”yes” meta_comments=”yes” meta_tags=”no” content_alignment=”” excerpt=”no” excerpt_length=”35″ strip_html=”yes” scrolling=”no” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=”” /][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”1_4″ layout=”1_4″ spacing=”” center_content=”no” hover_type=”none” link=”” min_height=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_position=”left top” background_repeat=”no-repeat” border_size=”0″ border_color=”” border_style=”solid” border_position=”all” padding_top=”” padding_right=”” padding_bottom=”” padding_left=”” dimension_margin=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=”” last=”no”][fusion_title margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”briefsummary” id=”” size=”3″ content_align=”left” style_type=”none” sep_color=””]

    Title

    Persistence is Cultural: Professional Socialization and the Reproduction of Sex Segregation

    Authors

    Carroll Seron, Susan Silbey, Erin Cech, and Brian Rubineau

    Institutions

    University of California Irvine, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Michigan, McGill University

    Source

    Work and Occupations

    Published

    2016

    Link

    http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0730888415618728

    Research brief prepared by

    Kim de Laat[/fusion_title][fusion_widget_area name=”avada-custom-sidebar-researchbriefsidebar” title_size=”” title_color=”” background_color=”” padding_top=”” padding_right=”” padding_bottom=”” padding_left=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” /][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

  • Gender Equality in the Workplace: How Men Can Move the Needle

    Gender Equality in the Workplace: How Men Can Move the Needle