'Women weren’t held back because of trouble balancing the competing demands of work and family—men, too, suffered from the balance problem and nevertheless advanced.'
Ask people to explain why women remain so dramatically underrepresented in the senior ranks of most companies, and you will hear from the vast majority a lament that goes something like this: High-level jobs require extremely long hours, women’s devotion to family makes it impossible to put in those hours, and so their careers inevitably suffer.
We heard this explanation a few years ago from a global consulting firm that, having had no success with off-the-shelf solutions, sought our help in understanding how its culture might be hampering its women employees. The firm recruits from elite colleges and MBA programs and ranks near the top of lists of prestigious consultancies, but like most other professional services firms, it has few female partners.
We also found incongruities within the work/family rhetoric itself. Take the way this man summed up the problem: “Women are going to have kids and not want to work, or they are going to have kids and might want to work but won’t want to travel every week and live the lifestyle that consulting requires, of 60- or 70-hour weeks.
All this led us to what we felt was an inescapable conclusion: For the firm to address its gender problem, it would have to address its long-hours problem. And the way to start would be to stop overselling and overdelivering. We suspected that in the answer lay something profound but hidden—not just at our client firm but in corporate culture generally. Perhaps the work/family narrative is so pervasive and tenacious because it feeds into an elaborate system of social and psychological defenses that protect both women and men from the disturbing emotions that arise from the demand for long work hours. We decided to investigate.
The men we talked to clearly felt guilty about how little time they spent with their families. They spoke poignantly about their deep emotional attachment to them, told us how much they regretted the time spent away from them, and described in heart-wrenching detail their interactions with disappointed children.
At that point he shifted the conversation to the male-dominated world of work. He told us about his time in the beer industry, a domain that, as he put it, consists of “men slapping each other on the back and talking about golf and s--- like that.” In his telling, there was no room in this domain for the emotional experience of parenting, which he implicitly relegated to the world of women. Men and women, he said, just have different commitments to work and family.
Norge Siste Nytt, Norge Overskrifter
Similar News:Du kan også lese nyheter som ligner på denne som vi har samlet inn fra andre nyhetskilder.
Vermouth, Explained—Plus 5 We’re Really, Really IntoThere’s more out there than just Cinzano and Martini Rosso.
Les mer »
Confessions of a Slow Learner: American Politics Really Is SexistThe exchanges over Mike Bloomberg’s record on women and discrimination at the recent Democratic debate in Las Vegas were entertaining, but also revealed a political culture stuck in a rut
Les mer »
20 'unhealthy' foods that are actually really good for youA glass of champagne a day could possibly keep the doctor away
Les mer »
“She Really Has Had a Total Makeover”: Karen Pence’s Transformation Is a Play for 2024The second lady has emerged with a new look—“more of a stateswoman,” says a veteran Republican—and a renewed commitment to the Trump White House. Sources close to the Pences say it’s all part of their plan for a presidential campaign: “They’re playing long ball.”
Les mer »
What Amy Klobuchar Is Really Saying When She Talks About Having 'Receipts'Bringing receipts means showing up with proof. The phrase has its roots in a 2002 interview with Whitney Houston, who, when confronted with a question about how much she allegedly spent on drugs, demanded proof: 'No, no way. I want to see the receipts.'
Les mer »
Is It Dangerous to Eat Really Hot Peppers?With the ALS hot pepper challenge gaining popularity, we research the dangers of eating hot peppers and how capsaicin can affect your body.
Les mer »