Women’s work, men’s cultures by Sarah Rutherford

Author:Sarah Rutherford
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
Published: 2010-12-31T16:00:00+00:00

WOMEN AND LONG HOURS

Judi Marshall found that many women managers moved out of male-dominated cultures to build a life that was more balanced between home and work.36 Contrary to the popular belief that women leave professional roles after 15 years to go home, the majority take their skills and experience and apply them elsewhere, often setting up their own businesses or working for a smaller company with more regular hours. The big corporates are losing a wealth of talent by not addressing their working practices.

My research showed that the shorter hours are worked by two groups of people – older men and working mothers. The former were nearing retirement and were under less pressure to work long hours. Many women in the airline and the bank adapted their routines to fit in with the long-hours culture. My findings corresponded with an Institute for Employment Studies survey37 which showed that women with dependants were much less likely to work long hours than men living with children.

Many women in Airco adapted their working day to fit in with the long-hours culture of the airline. A female manager (cargo) said, ‘I start at 9.30 am, which is late but I wanted one part of the day with my daughter, and I think I knew in my heart that once you get into Airco it is difficult to get away at a reasonable time.’38

Taking work home was one way working mothers found they coped with the workload, although they lost points for not being visible. A female senior manager in Marketing remarked, ‘I try to leave at 6 pm but my boss on the main board has an infuriating habit of fixing meetings for 6 pm and I have to attend.’39 This woman squeezed in one and half hours of work every evening at home when the children had gone to bed. A female manager in Finance said, ‘I work from 4–6 am most mornings at home so that I can get home in the evening at a decent time and spend time with my son and husband.’40

However, working shorter hours – or in reality working a normal working day – was not popular with other managers. A male manager in Cargo talked of a colleague, who had just returned from maternity leave and was leaving work every evening at 5.30 pm: ‘It’ll be all right if it’s now and again but if it happens consistently people will get pissed off.’41

One female analyst in the broking division of Investco had a small baby, and said:

I leave the house at 6.45 am and try to get home by 7 pm. I see her for five minutes in the morning and then half an hour at night but then she has to go to bed. Even if I leave at 6 pm no one says anything but I know the work is there, the pressure is there, it’s very subtle. Sometimes I come in at 5 am to finish a report.42

The message being sent down to young men and women as they enter some of the professions is clear, even today.

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