SOCIETAL AND ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXTS OF WOMENS CAREERS

1
SOCIETAL AND ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXTS OF WOMENS
CAREERS

• Nevenka Cernigoj Sadar
• DECOWE Conference Ljubljana, Slovenia,
• 24-25 September 2009

2
Objective of the paper

• To explore the interplay of societal and
  organisational contexts in the creation of
  womens careers.

3
Methodology

• Secondary analysis and synthesis of cross-
  national and slovenian studies
• 1) Suzan Lewis et al. (2003-05)
• Gender, Parenthood and the Changing European
  Workplace.
• 2) Aleksandra Kanjuo Mrcela
• Nevenka Cernigoj Sadar (2005-2007)
• Empirical studies within EQUAL project Young
  mothers/family friendly employment.

4
General trends

• Globalisation, demographic changes, development
  of new technologies ? changes in organisational
  structure and functioning.
• Changes in paid work and private life are not
  coordinated.

5
New career definition

• Careers unfold in multilayered contexts and over
  life course (Moen Sweet, 2004).
• Individuals have multiple roles ? multiple
  commitments ? multiple careers
• Young generations Endeavours for balancing paid
  work and private life are as important as
  meaningful work and development of employability.

6
Balance of life spheres

• Individual level flexibility in achieving and
  establishing a meaningful balance between time
  and various kind of investments to do our work
  effectively, while at the same time having enough
  time for other important activities in our life.
• Important individual control and autonomy over
  the work-family boundaries

7
Family friendly management

• Organizational level employers use of family
  friendly practices in a concerted and coordinated
  way and their having an undelying commitment to
  help employees obtain a balancing between work
  and family obligations.

8
Is the family relevant for professional careers?

• Basic mental sets, work habits and some skills
  which are useful at job are learned in family.
• Enriching relations between work and family
  contribute to the subjective well- being.

9
THE SOURCES OF WELL-BEING PUBLIC SECTOR
(Cernigoj Sadar Kersnik, 2005) Average percent
of positive marks of different aspects of
well-being
10
SOURCES OF WELL- BEING PRIVATE SECTOR (Cernigoj
Sadar Kersnik, 2005) Average percent of
positive marks of different aspects of well-being
for each country
11
Does the public work - family policies matters?

• Leave policies, child care policies and other
  benefits ease the development of careers but have
  greater impact on the development of womens
  careers compared to mens careers.

12
Changes in working life of parents since the
birth of any child financial sector
13
Accomulation of negative experiences of mothers
in Slovenia after the child birth(Kanjuo Mrcela
Cernigoj Sadar, 2007)

• Sample of 270 employed mothers
• - Have to work more than 8 hours per day 34
• Additional burdens 30
• Do not get the job they would like 26
• Could not get career promotion 16
• Worsening relations with supervisors 13
• Employer terminates work contract 10
• Unwanted career demotion 8
• - Employee terminates work contract 8

14
Introduction of family friendly organisational
policies in Slovenia- social context

• - Social agreement 2007 -2009
• Resolution on National Programme for Equal
  Opportunities for women and men 2005-2013
• EQUAL project development partnership Young
  mothers/families friendly employment YMFFE
  funded by European Social Fund-EU and Ministry of
  Labour, Family and Social Affairs, Republic of
  Slovenia.

15
Main goals of YMFFE

• To sensitize general public and organizations for
  negative impacts of discriminating parents.
• To provide organizations with tools for
  balancing work-family (W-F) life.
• To publicly recognize those organizations that
  implement family friendly policies.
• To rise awareness among potential/parents.

16
The certification methodology

• was based on the system developed by the
  German organization Berufundfamilie adapted to
  the specifics of Slovenian economic and
  legislative framework.

17
Family friendly measures

• Working time
• Organization of work
• Spatial flexibility
• Information and communication policies
• Organisational strategy/philosophy, development
  of management
• Development and promotion of employees
• Financial and other benefits
• Services to support family

18
Family friendly measures (FFM)of 32
organizations before entering the certification
process

• 94 - organizations have 1- 7 FFM
• 86 - time flexibility (arrival, departure )
• 41 - parents have priority in holidays planning
• 38 - work from/at home (occasionally),
• 31 - help at returning to work from parental
  leave
• 31 - part time work
• 24 - flexibility in transferring over
  hours/deficit in work hours

19
New FFMs

• Information and communication policies
• more than half organisation ?FFM part of
  organizational culture dissemination of
  information to inner out of organization
  public news papers, intranet attitudes
  research, discussion groups trustee for W-F
  balancing (42) sharing the good practices

20
New FFMs

• Working time
• Child bonus - 68
• Planning holidays - 39
• Fixed basic working time, choice of start and end
  of working time 26
• Flexibility in transfer of over hours - 23

21
New FFMs

• Development of employees
• Plans for W-F problem solving - 32
• Plans related to parental leave 29
• Communication during the long term absence from
  work 26
• Courses, workshops ? up to date knowledge and
  skills 23

22
New FFMs

• Organisational strategy, management development
• Courses about FFE for management 29
• FFE and EOP as part of organisational strategy
  29

23
Conclusions

• - Supportive work- family policies are not an
  end point of process in consumer led and
  gendered society.
• - They are part of a process of change in
  learning organisations that involves shifting
  values and practices in developing careers of men
  and women.