Exploring career 'choices'of work-centred women in a professional service firm

摘要

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to challenge Hakim's work-centred category and empiricallyrntests its applicability in a professional service firm.rnDesign/methodology/approach - The information was gathered through 19 in-depth interviewsrnwith women in an international consulting firm. The analysis was conducted using Nvivo software.rnFindings - The paper shows that contrary to the contentions of preference theory, work-centredrnwomen do not face unfettered choice in their career advancement. Findings reveal a number ofrnstructural constraints within the firm - namely the prevailing model of success, the need for high-levelrnsponsorship and the need to network, which impact their choices. The findings also problematise thernnature and formulation of the work-centred category itself.rnResearch limitations/implications - The paper surfaces a number of contradictions in thernwork-centred category and calls for further work in this area. The paper also surfaces the presence ofrnstructural constraints which impact on women's career choices. Further research to develop thesernthemes and provide broader contextual analysis is called for.rnPractical implications - Hakim's preference theory has taken responsibility for women's careerrnadvancement away from society and organisations and placed it on individual women. The paperrnchallenges this positioning and calls for organisations to audit their policies and processes to ensurernthey are not "gender oppressive".rnOriginality/value - The paper adds to the debate on the applicability of preference theory throughrnempirical evaluation of the one of the three categories at its heart - that of work-centred women.rnThe theory is found to be wanting on a number of issues and problematises not just the category butrnkey tenets of the theory itself.