Career Decisions Of Women Research Articles

Balancing Work-Life: Examining the Career Decisions of Women Educational Leaders

This research study explores the growth of career patterns in women and the factors affecting their career decisions. For women to participate in society, the male-dominated culture was challenged when women decided to have a strong footing in leadership positions and at the same time balance work and life. Therefore, it was necessary to investigate what made these women career-oriented, while simultaneously managing their homes. This qualitative research using the narrative technique examined the causes that led women leaders to work toward their career development. It also investigated as to how this decision affected their lives. Through purposive sampling, eight department heads from different universities in Karachi were selected and interviewed. Through thematic analysis, the data was analyzed. This study implies that women are aware of the effects of their decisions still they pursue their careers because their cause is more important to them. In conclusion, this study contributes to understanding the factors influencing women's career decisions and the impact of these decisions on their lives.

Towards a dynamic conceptual model for understanding the impact of social isolation on SIE women's adjustment and career development

PurposeSelf-initiated expatriates (SIE) women's career decisions are often based on the establishment of close personal relationships in various spheres of life. This paper aims to explore the effects of social isolation in times of crisis on SIE women's work, psychological and general adjustment.Design/methodology/approachThe model of expatriate women's adjustment by Caligiuri and Lazarova (2002) is reviewed and adapted to account for the impact of social isolation and loneliness on SIE women's adjustment and professional development in a crisis context. The interplay between duration and intensity of crisis and acculturative stress over time is highlighted; danger zones for potential maladjustment are identified, and adjustment-as-a-crisis context are incorporated into the model.FindingsThe spillover effects between different life spaces in times of isolation have a negative impact on SIE women's ability to develop supportive relationships in different life spaces. The organization becomes the main point of contact with the host culture, but pressure to perform, uncertain contracts, gendered role division and the experience of a double crisis add to the existing acculturative stress which may lead to maladjustment or further fit-dependent crisis over time.Originality/valueThe authors contribute to the theoretical understanding of the impact of social isolation on a single, vulnerable acculturating group, by expanding on an existing static model of adjustment, to account for the temporal (time) and spatial (multi-dimensional crisis context) constraints faced by SIE women which has not been done before.

Mind, body, soul: a phase-oriented, holistic approach to menopause in the workplace

The negative impact of menopause on the work-life and career decisions of women has gained importance in recent times. Addressing the specific needs of women in the years before and after menopause is both an issue of gender equality in the workplace, and an imperative in a labor market with a shortage of skilled workers.

A qualitative exploration of managerial mothers' flexible careers: The role of multiple contexts

This study explores the lived career experiences of women managers with children in Sweden. Drawing on existing theory on flexible careers which proposes that multiple contexts – institutional, organizational and individual - shape employees' career decisions, we present findings from a study of 34 career mothers in dual-income households within a large engineering company in Sweden. We show that the institutional context in Sweden, with its shared parental leave, is an important element in the women's career decisions by directly mandating the fathers' engagement with childcare and home roles and indirectly fostering a family-supportive organizational culture. We theorize that the family context needs to be incorporated into existing theoretical models and specifically demonstrate how continuing shared childcare roles between the parents is critical to mothers' career outcomes. We evidence the various ways in which fathers engage with home responsibilities and how that influences the mothers' career decisions. Furthermore, we argue that the institutional environment has consequences which cascade down to each of the other contextual levels and that the importance of the different contexts can vary according to the work-care regime. We therefore challenge recent research which claims that the industry ecosystem is the crucial force in shaping women's careers.

Graduate Student Women's Perceptions of Faculty Careers: The Critical Role of Departmental Values and Support in Career Choice.

While the number of women in undergraduate and graduate chemistry programs has increased in recent years, women remain under-represented and excluded in the ranks of faculty in chemistry higher education. This marginalization results from not only fewer women being offered faculty positions but also fewer women applying for these positions. To investigate the reasons why faculty positions are causing so many women to turn elsewhere for employment, a survey was designed based on the literature themes surrounding women’s career choices, interviews with the current graduate student women in chemistry programs, and our previous work. The survey was grounded in social cognitive career theory (SCCT), and data were analyzed through a QuantCrit lens. Despite the existing literature focusing on the impact of having children on women’s career decisions, the desire to have children did not appear among either the top priorities or the most important factors in predicting whether any of the 130 survey respondents were interested in a faculty career. Instead, faculty career interest was related to themes of overwork, high expectations from departments, and expected department emphasis on research despite an individual’s interest in teaching and mentoring. Furthermore, women expressed a strong interest in maintaining work–life balance but low expectations for their ability to obtain a position that would allow it. They also reported a desire to work for a department that values mental health and diversity and supports its community members but similarly low expectations for their ability to find a department that shares these values. These themes suggest that chemistry departments must make fundamental changes regarding what is tangibly valued and rewarded within their systems if they wish to reduce the exclusion of women in faculty positions.

Gap in STEM Education: Why is there a decline in women participation?

A steady Gender gap is observed with the number of students enrolled in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) fields in higher education and universities. The underrepresentation of women in the field of STEM is world-wide. Numerous studies have contemplated different factors for this gap and studies on interests showing, that women's career decisions are often influenced by their interest which is inclined towards working ‘with people’ and deviates them from STEM. Men prefer to work with ‘material and gadgets’ which interests more men towards STEM. Increment in “enterprising and artistic interests” among the women, less awareness on the career and study opportunities, lesser female mentors, the duration to become an expert in STEM, lesser encouragement from the opposite sex, has an impact on the number of females in STEM. The gap was more prominent in egalitarian countries and termed as the “education gender-equality paradox”. The difference in early childhood spatial ability can also contribute to the emergence of gender differences in mathematics and science later. This article also suggests more research into making STEM attractive for both genders, providing early education that provides makes STEM attractive for both genders.

Factors influencing low female representation in pilot training recruitment

In 2011 ICAO published a report about projected pilot and training capacity shortage (ICAO, 2011). To solve this problem, several studies have been carried out, and forecasts of the required number of pilots for the next 10–20 years are constantly being updated. Universities have begun introducing pilot training into their aviation courses, although only US airlines require a degree from the candidates to work as a pilot. The leading providers of pilot training facilities and industry observers argue that even with severe flight restrictions due to COVID-19, the shortage of pilots and quality pilot training remains a major concern. There is a trend of under-representation of females in the pilot roles. Some researchers and aviation industry experts assume that more women should be recruited into the profession to address the pilot shortage.This paper explores the current key reasons for the low female representation in pilot training recruitment. In many studies, the problem of gender discrimination and societal stereotype that believes that the pilot is a purely male type of job are dominant among the negative ones. The authors investigated whether these factors are seen as predominant in women's career decisions in aviation. A qualitative study was conducted utilising the semi-structured in-depth interview of nine female pilots from Europe, Australia and UK. A transcript based content analysis was done using Nvivo. Further, the triangulation method was utilized to verify the results of the study.The main findings from this research show that, in addition to the high cost of training and the tendency of airlines to shift financial obligations for training to students, the hiring of pilots continues to suffer from gender inequality. Reasons such as “Lack of role models for young girls and women in aviation”, “Cultural sexism” and “Lack of acceptance from male peers and passengers” continue to hinder the promotion of the pilot profession among women. Multiple organisations and airlines have initiatives in place to mitigate the problems connected with pilot training and hiring. However, the effectiveness of these initiatives is controversial, as the number of female pilots has seen hardly any growth in the past ten years. Furthermore, they may be responsible in future for creating an even more “gender-unequal” culture inside the industry, as women will be seen in their roles only due to gender recruitment requirement. All stakeholders, including universities that choose to participate in the pilot training process, could help rethink the principles of gender balance, increasing the visibility of their initiatives and raising public awareness of the availability of pilot training and career prospects for women.The article presents the theoretical and practical implications of the reasons for low female representation in pilot training recruitment.

Running their own show: Malaysian women entrepreneurs’ kaleidoscope careers

PurposeConsiderable research has been conducted to highlight women's career decisions to opt-out of corporate positions, but little is said about those who leave to become entrepreneurs. The purpose of this paper is to theorize kaleidoscope career parameters in relation to entrepreneurship stages and demonstrate the role of macro-national context (i.e. government initiatives and cultural practices) in women entrepreneurs' career choices.Design/methodology/approachThe authors interviewed 34 Malaysian women entrepreneurs (MWEs) who were established in their careers and explored the following two research questions: (1) what career parameters are prioritized at different entrepreneurship stages? and (2) how does macro-national context influence women entrepreneurs' careers?FindingsAdopting a kaleidoscope career lens, the authors show that authenticity was prioritized during the initial entrepreneurship stage, while balance and challenge were prioritized during the establishment and business advancement stages, respectively. The authors demonstrate that government support was conducive to women's decision to opt-in and stay in the entrepreneurship path. The findings also denote that cultural practices facilitated women's pursuit of entrepreneurship by encouraging family members to support women entrepreneurs in their career choices and actions.Originality/valueThe qualitative approach enabled us to specify the context-specific meaning women entrepreneurs in our study associated with authenticity, balance, and challenge. In doing so, this research extends the kaleidoscope career model to better understand women's career patterns at different entrepreneurship stages.

Encounters with Gendered Realities in Career Decision-making While Scouting Women Participation in the Indian Workforce

Participation of women in the workforce is crucial for any economy to optimally utilize the potential of its full human capital. However, according to the Global Gender Gap Report (2016) by World Economic Forum, no country by now has achieved gender equality. Due to demographic change as well as a stronger focus on service and knowledge-intensive industries, India will face a significant shortage of (qualified) skills in the next decades. To secure qualified labor, it will be of vital importance for large companies to diversify the pool of (potential) employees by gaining better access to the female labor force. When a pool of young women, who are professionally qualified to participate in the workforce and contribute to the country, cannot utilize their true talent, it becomes quite important to know and understand the reasons for that. Career choice and career decisions of women are influenced by a number of social, cultural, familial, and personal factors. The article seeks to identify the reasons of decreased female participation in the Indian workforce from the lenses of career theories and practicalities of career decision-making. It is aimed at a focused target group, that is, young women (between the age of 25 and 45) who have full-time enrollment in university education, are professionally qualified to join the workforce, and are living in an urban setting, yet not contributing in the workforce.

Protean organizations

PurposeThis paper aims to understand women's careers better in order to help organizations make changes to increase female retention. Two specific questions are addressed: Are women adopting a protean career orientation by becoming career self‐agents?; and Are women's career decisions guided by the kaleidoscope values of challenge, balance, and authenticity? Results are used to discuss changes that organizations can make to better attract and retain female talent.Design/methodology/approachOpen‐ended semi‐structured interviews were conducted by telephone with 25 women graduates of a top ranked international business school located in the USA who had voluntarily left the workforce at some time in their career and had since returned to work.FindingsResults show that 17 of the women interviewed followed a protean career orientation when they returned to the workforce, finding part‐time or reduced‐hours positions or completely changing careers. Of the women, five returned to work following a traditional career orientation and three chose to return to a job rather than reinitiating their careers. The vast majority of the women who adopted a protean career were driven to do so in order to satisfy their need for balance in their lives. Overall, eight of the women expressed a need for authenticity in their careers and only two mentioned a desire for challenge. Many of them felt they had already satisfied their need for challenge earlier in their career, as the KCM suggests.Practical implicationsAs with protean careers, protean organizations adapt to evolving circumstances. Companies that recognize and respond to the need to reshape how work gets done and how careers are built will achieve a competitive advantage by attracting and retaining valuable female talent. Organizations should shift their focus from an emphasis on face time to an emphasis on results, giving employees more control over how, when, and where they work. They also need to move away from the traditional career model that emphasizes full‐time, continuous employment and instead embrace arc‐of‐the‐career flexibility that allows women to adopt a protean orientation, managing their own careers in order to align them with their personal values.Originality/valueThe paper helps to explain the motives behind professional women' career moves and makes suggestions on how organizations can better attract and retain female talent.

Choices and Barriers: Factors influencing women's choice of higher education in science, engineering and technology

This article is concerned with the under-representation of women on science and engineering and technical (SET) courses in higher education in Britain and the underlying reasons for this. The first section critically examines a 'barrier' model which focuses on factors which may impede and or discourage women from entering the field reviewing potential barriers such as-SET education in schools, the nature of scientific enquiry, the masculine occupational culture of SET, the image of scientists and lack of role models and networks. The second section briefly presents an alternative model which focuses on the extent to which such under-representation reflects a tendency for women to make positive choices of alternative occupational fields. It is concluded that rather than focusing on a barrier model in which women are seen in a relatively passive role, more consideration should be given to the extent to which women's career decisions arise out of positive choices.

Young Women's Work Values and Role Salience in Grade 11: Are There Changes Three Years Later?

Eleventh graders participated in a longitudinal study of career decision making in which they completed a series of career‐related inventories and follow‐up interviews. There was little change in work‐related values between the 2 administrations of the Values Scale (G.W. Fitzsimmons, D. Macnab, & C. Casserly, 1985); however, greater variation occurred on the Salience Inventory (G. W. Fitzsimmons et al., 1985), particularly Role Value Implementation. Role salience seems less stable than values, perhaps reflecting the transition from high school to postsecondary education or the world of work. Implications for D. E. Super's (1981, 1990, 1994, 1995) theory of career development and applications to career counseling are outlined.

The ACC professional life survey: career decisions of women and men in cardiology. A report of the Committee on Women in Cardiology. American College of Cardiology.

This survey was conducted to learn how the career decisions of women and men in cardiology influenced their professional and personal lives. Women represent only 5% of practicing adult cardiologists and 10% of trainees. Yet, women and men now enter medical school at nearly equal numbers. The factors that contribute to career satisfaction in cardiology should be identified to permit the development of future strategies to ensure that the best possible candidates are attracted to the profession. A questionnaire developed by the Ad Hoc Committee on Women in Cardiology of the American College of Cardiology (ACC) was mailed in March 1996 to all 964 female ACC members and an age-matched sample of 1,199 male members who had completed cardiovascular training. Women were more likely to describe their primary or secondary role as a clinical/noninvasive than invasive cardiologist (p < 0.0001 women vs. men). Men and women both reported a high level of satisfaction with family life, but women were less satisfied with their work as cardiologists (88% vs. 92%, p < 0.01) and with their level of financial compensation. Compared with men, women expressed less overall satisfaction (69% vs. 84%) and more dissatisfaction with their ability to achieve professional goals (21% vs. 9%). These differences were most pronounced for women in academic practice. Women reported greater family responsibilities, which may limit their opportunities for career advancement. Women were more likely to alter training or practice focus to avoid radiation. A majority of women (71%) reported gender discrimination, whereas only 21% of men reported any discrimination, largely due to race, religion or foreign origin. Women cardiologists report overall lower satisfaction with work and advancement, particularly within academic practice. They report more discrimination, more concerns about radiation and more limitations due to family responsibilities, which may ultimately explain the low percentage of women in cardiology. Attention to these issues may result in programs to improve professional satisfaction and attract the best candidates into cardiology in the future.

Context of Career Decisions: Women Reared in a Rural Community

This study investigated the influences on the career decisions of women who grew up in a rural community. Forty women were interviewed who graduated in the upper 10% of their high school classes in the 1950s, ‘60s, ‘70s, and ‘80s. The results are described in three components: gender role beliefs, factors, and contexts. Gender role beliefs were the most pervasive influences found. Other factors were (a) information, (b) meeting others' expectations, (c) barriers, (d) sense of empowerment, (e) conditions of work, and (f) personal values. The participants were also affected by their social and historical contexts and their development stages.

Need fulfillment in the career development of women

To test Harmon's proposal that Maslow's needs theory can explain differences in women's career decisions, need importance scores of 481 college graduate women of 1968 were contrasted. Since full-time homemakers are dependent upon another person for fulfillment of basic needs (Maslow's security-safety and social needs), it was hypothesized that these needs would remain prepotent and, therefore, would be higher for homemakers than for women employed outside the home. Esteem and self-actualization needs of employed women were expected to be higher for employed women than for homemakers. The results of the analyses generally supported the hypotheses. The major resulting discriminant function contrasted negative weights on basic needs with positive weights on high-level needs. Homemakers scored highest on security-safety and social needs, while professional-managerial and clerical-sales workers scored highest on the esteem need. In an unexpected finding, self-actualization was found to be the highest-ranked need for all groups of women in the study.

A self-efficacy approach to the career development of women

An approach to the conceptualization and facilitation of women's career development based on A. Bandura's ( Social learning theory. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice Hall, 1977; Psychological Review, 1977 , 84, 191–215) self-efficacy theory is presented. The model presented postulates that largely as a result of socialization experiences, women lack strong expectations of personal efficacy in relationship to many career-related behaviors and, thus, fail to fully realize their capabilities and talents in career pursuits. Sex differences in the access to and availability of four sources of information important to the development of strong expectations of personal efficacy are reviewed and discussed in relationship to women's career decisions and achievements. The utility of the proposed model for integrating existing knowledge of women's career development, for generating productive avenues of inquiry, and for guiding intervention efforts is discussed. The conceptual framework provided is seen as having implications for the career development of men as well as women, but the focus herein is on its potential for contributing to knowledge of the career development of women.