Women partners leaving the firm: Choice, what choice?

摘要

This paper is based on the experiences of 31 women who have recently leftpartner roles within an international management consultancy firm. The purposeof this paper is to explore discursively their perceptions of choice withintheir decisions to leave. Design/methodology/approach - Data were collected from31 women using semi-structured telephone interviews, a 66 per cent responserate. A discursive approach to analysis was adopted. Findings - The decision toleave is the culmination of many interacting factors at a time when a financialincentive for resignation is available. Findings present here focus ondiscourses of loyalty to and affection for the company and work-lifeintegration. Research limitations/implications - Limitations include access onlyto women who have left the firm, allowing for no comparison with those who werestill partners. Additionally, we were unable to speak to any of the malepartners who have left the firm in the same timescales, although in smallerproportions. Practical implications - The findings indicate the need to reviewthe excessive time demands placed on partners and provide further support forpolicies, which enable greater flexibility. Originality/value - This paper usesdata from a rare sample of women, those who have actually left senior roleswithin one organization.