Young Professional Women Research Articles

Organizational Structure and Employees’ Performance: The Case of a Multipurpose Cooperative in Nueva Vizcaya

In the Philippines’ social and economic structure, cooperatives play a significant role, particularly in rural areas, by facilitating market access and resource distribution and fostering communal growth. Despite being recognized by government policies as key contributors to financial inclusion, economic growth, and poverty eradication, the effectiveness of cooperatives concerning their organizational structures is often overlooked. This study aims to determine the correlation between Organizational Structure and Employees’ Performance: The Case of a Multipurpose Cooperative in Nueva Vizcaya. It employs a quantitative approach, combining descriptive and correlational designs. The survey questionnaire used in this study is adopted from three research sources. The results revealed that most of the cooperative’s workforce was comprised of young professional women, with an average age of 29.97. The respondents were predominantly from the Accounting Department, with a notable representation from lower/operational management. Moreover, a substantial portion of the respondents had tenure exceeding six months. The results indicated a positive perception of the subcategories within the organizational structure, significantly influencing employee performance. However, certain aspects of the organizational structure, such as hierarchical structure, formalization, and internal and external boundaries, showed no significant relationship with employee performance. These findings highlight the complex interplay between organizational structure and employee performance in a cooperative setting.

To lead or not to lead: exploring how young women’s early career experiences impact their leadership ambition

PurposeThis paper aims to explore and better understand the workplace experiences of young professional women, as they relate to their leadership ambition. Research has shown that women graduate from college with equal or greater leadership ambition than men. By mid-career, however, a significant gender ambition gap emerges, which may be a contributing factor to the gender leadership gaps that persist across all sectors of the economy.Design/methodology/approachIn-depth interviews were conducted with young American professional women who excelled and had leadership ambition in college. The theoretical framework is the expectancy–value–cost model of motivation.FindingsAnalysis reveals a consistent decline in the young women’s leadership ambition after entering their professional career, stemming from a general sense of dissatisfaction with their jobs, a lack of connection with their organizations’ leadership and culture and an expectation that moving up the ladder would result in a less satisfying personal life.Research limitations/implicationsAlthough this study is not statistically generalizable to a broader population, the findings are relevant for colleges and universities that prepare women for their careers, and organizations that seek to recruit and retain female talent.Originality/valueBy focusing on the experiences of young professional women, this paper contributes to the exploration of gender leadership gaps as well as to the discussion of policies and programs that may contribute to keeping more women in the leadership trajectory.

Young professional Bangladeshi women with rebel bones: trans-approaches to language and identity

ABSTRACT The paper advances our understanding of the ‘translingual turn’ in applied linguistics and its role in exploring women’s entanglement with the colonial/post-colonial/neo-colonial selves. Based on a virtual ethnography and in-depth interviews of four young women from four different professions in Bangladesh, the paper shows that their performances of gender are tied up with the structured expectations of the linguistic and societal norms related to the archetypal images of bhadramahilas/ gentle ladies observed during the colonial period of Indian Subcontinent. With their distinct multimodal creativity, they establish a new form of agency and manage to challenge their triply compromised positions as a post-colonial being, weaker sex, and constructed ‘other’ in a patriarchal society. It also seems that they manage to confront the coloniality of being, sensing, and knowing in the process, while they experience oppressions perpetrated by the archetypal images of bhadramahilas. The paper concludes that creativity plays a vital role in their language practices and their ‘epistemic disobedience’ to the pre-scripted colonial interpretation of women and in transforming their language, thinking, doing, and being. The paper ends by suggesting the ways to the decolonisation of the concepts of language and gender.

Guides to Heavenly Mother

Guides to Heavenly Mother

Women in Leadership.

The role of a surgeon is inherently that of a leader and as women become a larger minority in surgical specialties, the next step becomes greater representation of women in positions of surgical leadership. Leadership is a relationship of granting and claiming wherein society must accept that women are deserving of leadership and women must realize their rightfulness to lead. Implicit gender bias undermines this relationship by perpetuating traditional gender norms of women as followers and not as leaders. Though female representation in academia and leadership has increased over the past few decades, this process is unacceptably slow, in part due to manifestations of implicit bias including discrimination within academia, pay inequality, and lack of societal support for childbearing and childcare. The women who have achieved leadership roles are testament to woman's rightfulness to lead and their presence serves to encourage other young professional women that success is possible despite these challenges.

Practicing the Ideal Depressed Self: Young Professional Women's Accounts of Managing Depression.

This article is based on a qualitative investigation of contemporary female subjectivities at the intersection of two particular identities: being a "young professional woman" and "depressed." Thirteen women working in both private and public sector roles in two major cities in Aotearoa New Zealand participated in semi-structured, in-depth interviews. Employing a practice-based approach to analysis, my aim was to explore whether participants' accounts are inflected by what cultural scholars call the "top girl" or "can-do girl" ideal and the implications for "recovering" from depression. I identified five identity practices which constitute the subject position of the "ideal depressed self" who (a) delivers no matter what, (b) puts on a brave face (particularly at work), (c) treats her depression medically, (d) looks after herself, and (e) works toward becoming more positive. A discussion of the discursive underpinnings, in particular, neoliberal and postfeminist rhetoric, highlights the harmful effects of this individualizing perspective.

This is (still) a man’s world: Young professional women’s identity struggles in gendered workplaces

Recent research has documented the rise of neoliberal and postfeminist sensibilities within young women’s sense-making and accounting activities in western countries – exemplified by the image of the “top girl”. Yet workplaces remain structured by male power and patriarchal norms. In this qualitative focus group study conducted in Auckland, New Zealand, we investigated how young professional women negotiate the contradictions between the “top girl” mode and gendered workplaces in their accounts of workplace difficulties. Our aim was to explore the affective dimension of participants’ identity struggles and to discuss possible implications for thinking about young professional women’s experiences of emotional distress. We identified shared narratives about how to “survive”, and suggest the imperatives bound up in them can be thought of as lessons that women learn to get by at work. In addition to reinforcing the status quo, they represent the negotiation of inherently conflictual professional identities, which places a considerable emotional strain on women.

Polyphonies of depression: The relationship between voices-of-the-self in young professional women aka 'top girls'.

While the analysis of depression narratives has become increasingly common practice within critical mental health research, this work rarely investigates how these accounts intersect with particular social identities. The recent emergence of the 'top girl' identity, a new cultural slot on offer for young women, is underpinned by the rise of neoliberal and post-feminist discourses in the Western world. To explore whether this new feminine subjectivity is indeed taken up by young women and how it shapes their experience of depression, we conducted in-depth interviews with 13 young professional women in Aotearoa/New Zealand. Based on a dialogical approach to theorising and researching subjectivity, we identified repetitive inter-relations between different voices-of-the-self and the voices of depression. The most pervasive pattern in the sample consists of what we have termed demanding voices associated with the 'top girl' position, which construct depression as an individual deficit thereby discouraging young women from exploring the sociocultural origins of their distress. In contrast, resistant voices emphasise relationality and a (re)connection with meaningful values and, therefore, seem to be productive for individual recovery.

Postponing Childbearing and Fertility Preservation in Young Professional Women.

To evaluate young women's awareness of ovarian reserve testing and oocyte cryopreservation (OC) and assess how testing ovarian reserve may affect the desire for fertility preservation. Three questionnaire-based observational studies were conducted among female students/young professionals 20 years of age and older. The third survey was completed after participants were offered anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) testing. The main outcomes measured included awareness that OC is available, interest in pursuing fertility preservation, and whether interest would change based on knowledge of declining fertility. The first tier of the study included a survey of a total of 337 women. The majority of female subjects were aware of OC (92.1%). Approximately 38.5% of the women responded that they would consider OC for future fertility purposes. This percentage increased to 60.3% if one was aware her fertility was declining. The second tier of the study included 42 resident/fellow physicians who were offered AMH testing. A survey was completed before and after testing was completed. Approximately 12% of participants stated that their AMH level altered their anticipated age of childbearing, whereas 24% would consider cryopreservation based on their results. The most common concern regarding OC was the cost. Women should be counseled regarding reproductive aging and options for fertility preservation. Offering ovarian reserve testing and making OC more affordable may increase the number of women who undergo elective OC.

Attitudes of Professional Muslim Women in Saudi Arabia regarding Wearing the Abaya

Clothing choices create a “semiotic sparkle” for the individual, and convey meaning to viewers. In a global world, interpretations may differ, if wearer and viewer are from different cultures. This is the case for the hijab, or required Muslim dress for women, which has been profoundly ideologised. This study explores how young professional Saudi women understand the abaya, the long outer robe, as a fashionable article of clothing. Corpus data was analysed using Appraisal techniques. Positive results indicate they focus on visual details, appreciate its enabling both comfort and elegance, and perceive design-diversification according to social identities, activities, contexts and roles. They view wearing the abaya as culturally authentic, more than a religious duty. Negative results focused on hot textiles in summer, movement hindrance, and cleanliness.

Beauties at Work: Sexual Politics in a Chinese Professional Organization

This article explores new forms of inequality experienced by young white-collar professional women in post-Mao China. Drawing upon ethnographic data collected during a six-month stay in a Chinese company in eastern China, I explore how sexuality is played out in its organizational culture. Through an analysis of management attitudes, everyday office encounters and organizational activities, I illustrate that the workplace culture can be eroticized. Masculine domination pervades company organization, with women controlled through the process of objectification, which intensifies vertical segregation by gender. Despite gendered and sexualized control in the white-collar workplace, I caution against misinterpreting Chinese women’s responses by viewing them through the lens of inappropriate assumptions. I indicate how women’s agency may be enacted, and reveal layers of response and resistance in the face of masculine domination at work.

Calling the shots: Young professional women's relationship with alcohol

Alcohol consumption by young professional women is increasing. Whilst the media and public health campaigns have condemned this increase, societal attitudes and advertising discourses frame it as a display of “power femininity”. This qualitative study explored young professional women's “relationship with alcohol”: why they drank and how they felt about it. Twelve young professional women who reported drinking over official limits and had not sought professional help were recruited via UK public houses (drinking establishments, usually called pubs) and later interviewed. Transcripts were analysed thematically. Participants used alcohol to gain power; they saw drinking as a masculine ability demonstrating stamina, valued professionally and socially. However, women were also ashamed of their drinking; they felt criticised by health professionals and the media. Rather than perpetuating a blaming and shaming discourse, it may be important to counteract social norms associating alcohol use with power and sobriety with weakness.

Young professional women and elective oocyte cryopreservation: knowledge and desire

Young professionals may be more likely to delay childbearing. Oocyte cryopreservation (OC), recently established as no longer experimental, is used to preserve reproductive potential. We surveyed graduate student/young professional females about their knowledge of elective OC and their desire to utilize this procedure.

CHALLENGING THESTATUS QUO: YOUNG WOMEN AND MEN IN BLACK CONSCIOUSNESS COMMUNITY WORK, 1970s SOUTH AFRICA

AbstractYoung activists who took part in South Africa's Black Consciousness movement challenged the apartheidstatus quowith their bold calls for black psychological liberation. This article uses new evidence to elucidate the work these youthful activists did in health and economic projects in the rural Eastern Cape that, in part, upheld certain customs. The article also brings young professional women into the history of African youth, arguing that the involvement of professional black female activists changed the way activists and villagers perceived the abilities and roles of young black women.

Stress Indicators and Eating Habits among Working Malaysian Women

Managing working life and personal life can result in conflicting demands and roles for young professional women in developing countries. This paper focuses on a descriptive analysis of foods related behavior and level of stress indicators of Malaysian urban working women. It also explored the association between foods related behavior indicators and level of stress among these working women in Malaysia. The data was derived from an unpublished report carried based on a study on levels of stress, work environment and food intake patterns among urban working women. Data was collected using a questionnaire consisting of self-reported measures of health, stress symptoms, and food related behavior pattern. The results show that young professional women in Malaysia reported high levels of stress and unhealthy food related behavior patterns; underlining important areas for future research related to working women in Asian communities and workplaces. There is a need to addressed issues related to quality of life and wellbeing of working women in Malaysia by both researchers and by policy makers.

Sex steroids and personality traits in the middle luteal phase of healthy normally menstruating young professional women

Sex steroids affect human behavior. The aim of the present study was to determine the associations, if any, between the circulating levels of gonadal and adrenal sex steroids in the mid luteal phase (21st day of a normal menstrual cycle, MC) of young professional women and psychometric parameters as assessed by the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI). Our results are as follows: (a) The metabolic product of activated adrenal and gonadal androgens, 3alpha-diolG, was modestly but significantly associated with the social introversion scale (10-SI) (r=0.36, p<0.05), independently accounting for 13% of its variation across participants (R²=0.13, F(1,45)=6.58, p=0.014). (b) Total testosterone was significantly associated with the paranoia scale (6-Pa) (r=0.27, p<0.05). Multiple regression analyses indicated that 10% of the variability in paranoia scores could be independently explained by total testosterone levels (R²=0.10, F(1,57)=6.23, p=0.016). We were unable to find any association between the circulating androgens and scores on the masculinity-femininity scale (Mf). We were also unable to document any association between the weak adrenal androgens DHEA and DHEA-S and depression in contrast to several published reports. (c) Our data suggest a marginally significant association between progesterone and scores on the 7-Pt (obsessive/compulsive/psychasthenia) scale (r=0.27, p<0.05). However, only 7% of the 7-Pt variance was explained by progesterone (R²=0.071, F(1,50)=3.81, p=0.057). We have found that total testosterone was associated with the paranoia score, the metabolic product of activated androgens, 3alpha-diolG, to social introversion and, finally, progesterone to obsessive-compulsive behavior.

Singleness, Sexuality, and the Dream of Marriage

Abstract In contemporary South Africa the nuclear family, made up of a husband and wife with two or three children living in a suburban area, is considered a social ideal and symbol of social and economic success. In Pentecostal Charismatic Churches the nuclear family is also held up as a symbol of success and as a sign of spiritual favour and blessing. Yet many young professional women who are members of Pentecostal Charismatic Churches struggle to find suitable husbands and marry. This paper examines why these women encounter these difficulties and how the Pentecostal Charismatic Churches in this study are opening up new social spaces in which singleness is an acceptable social state. In so doing the paper shows the complex relationship between weddings, sexuality, and economics in the life of young upwardly mobile Pentecostal Charismatic Christians.

Little Emperors grown up: a case study of cosmetic usage

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore how the pressures of being a Little Emperor in a rapidly changing society are reflected in consumer experiences, particularly in the meanings attached to products and brands. The paper aims to focus on young adults in urban China, specifically young professional women.Design/methodology/approachThe subject was shadowed at work for two weeks during the Spring of 2007 and for an additional two weeks during the Spring of 2008. Social interactions and purchasing behavior were carefully observed, as well as conducting a series of informal interviews. During the Summer of 2008, a formal, in‐depth interview was conducted with an informant in the USA.FindingsThe unique pressures of growing up as a Little Emperor in a changing society are widely reflected in product usage and are ways in which to ease the tension and anxiety associated with the pressure of maintaining expectations from friends, family, and society.Research limitations/implicationsThe study focused on a single informant who, while on the surface appearing to represent adult Little Emperors, may in fact have different attitudes from her contemporaries. It would be interesting to investigate the degree to which parallel themes occur in the male market, namely what categories young urban professional men who were raised as Little Emperors use to express themselves.Practical implicationsThe research provides insights into some of the conflicting expectations derived directly from the experience of growing up as a Little Emperor. It translates these insights into practical recommendations for various aspects of marketing and advertising cosmetic products in China, thus allowing multinationals to build successful marketing campaigns that appeal to managing these conflicting expectations.Originality/valueThe paper is the first work on the consumer experiences of urban young adult Little Emperors, specifically young professional women.

One Woman's Balancing Act

The news of the week story “postdoc survey finds gender split on family issues” (Y. Bhattacharjee, 9 November, p. [897][1]) stressed social isolation of female faculty and the lack of high-quality child care. Looking back on a career as a professor and a single parent, I missed out on networking with colleagues and on presenting at conferences because of family obligations. I continued to miss out on these aspects of my career for many years, because, as most parents know, children can be too old to be left alone, as well as too young. (And, in any case, arrangements for overnight conference travel are much more difficult than daytime care.) When I reached middle age, I saw that there were special programs to encourage women who had delayed professional education until their families were grown, but little “catch-up” help for those of us who had been juggling all along. As an emerita and consultant today, I still feel the effect of the networking deficit. However, the Internet has helped me develop useful collegial connections to work with, now that my family tasks are minimal. Judging from the attitudes reported by the NIH survey, I would say that young professional women today are also more likely to benefit from electronic communication than from changes in social attitudes about family responsibilities. [1]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.318.5852.897

Female sexuality in Nairobi: Flawed or favoured?

Studies of female sexuality in Africa tend to adopt an instrumental approach, many times problematizing sexual conduct in relation to HIV infection and/or reproduction. This study aimed to explore sexuality as a relational concept. Using interviews and participant observation, the paper shows how sexuality becomes a point of self‐identification for young professional women in Nairobi between 20 and 30 years‐old. These women form a group who implicitly and explicitly criticize conventional gender roles through the overt pursuit of sexual pleasure as recognition of their womanhood. This aspect of the feminine sense of self is at odds with normative notions of femininity. To avoid criticism for being ‘un‐proper’, women adopt a deferential attitude towards men. The focus on upwardly mobile professional women and their experiments with new types of heterosexual relations in dating provides insight into both sexuality and gender.