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Gender, Time and the Top: Cultural Constructions of Time in the High Level Careers and Homes

Lyon, Dawn, Woodward, Alison E. (2004) Gender, Time and the Top: Cultural Constructions of Time in the High Level Careers and Homes. European Journal of Women's Studies, 11 (2). pp. 205-221. ISSN 1350-5068. (doi:10.1177/1350506804042096) (The full text of this publication is not currently available from this repository. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided) (KAR id:1057)

The full text of this publication is not currently available from this repository. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided.
Official URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1350506804042096

Abstract

The demand for long working hours in leading positions is seen as a primary obstacle for women entering decision-making, leading to suggestions that public policy support better compatibility between work life and home. The paradox of high-level positions is that while leaders are said to have it all in terms of autonomy and self-determination, they are subject to significant temporal constraints. This article explores the character of the time of women and men pursuing high-level careers in business and politics in Belgium, where state support for the domestic sphere is high, and yet women’s advance in management and politics has been relatively low. This research is based on a questionnaire survey and career history interviews. Women and men engaged in demanding careers organize their domestic worlds in segmented and rationalized ways, while their work has the character of more open and fluid time. This article suggests that assumptions about the character of time in different spheres of life need to be reviewed before further efforts are made to use family-friendly policies to increase women’s presence in decision-making.

Item Type: Article
DOI/Identification number: 10.1177/1350506804042096
Uncontrolled keywords: Belgium, careers, gender, management, politics, time
Subjects: H Social Sciences
H Social Sciences > HN Social history and conditions. Social problems. Social reform
Divisions: Divisions > Division for the Study of Law, Society and Social Justice > School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research
Depositing User: Dawn Lyon
Date Deposited: 19 Dec 2007 18:42 UTC
Last Modified: 20 Jan 2022 14:39 UTC
Resource URI: https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/1057 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)

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