GENDER DIVERSITY
The quest to understand what women think and the apparent impossibility of this task is a common theme in films and popular literature. Here, Professor Dorota Bourne at Henley Business School eschews the clichés to gain a better understanding of what work means to women – and how management education can support their ambitions Working out what women want
S ociety’s view of an insurmountable difference between the genders has permeated our understanding of women’s perception of work and its meaning in their lives. The stereotypical picture of women prioritising home and family life, with men as the ones valuing work outside of the home, still dominates our collective mindset when it comes to how the genders make their respective life choices. Popular media and anecdotal evidence from real women have both attempted to challenge this clichéd notion, but academic studies are simply not monitoring the shift in attitude. In part to correct this state of affairs, our research team set out to explore this question: Do men and women fundamentally define and view work differently? The simple answer is no, they don’t. Why both genders view work the same way Through our research we examined the psychological contracts, ie the unwritten expectations and beliefs people hold about their work environment, of 40 financial services employees based in the UK and the Czech Republic. A subsequent article appeared in the Journal of Psychological Research , entitled Does work mean something different to men and women? An empirical examination of the psychological
contract in the workplace across two countries . Participants shared their work experiences and relationships through interviews. These conversations revealed a high degree of similarity in the way that men and women approach work, demonstrating that meaning is found in similar elements. Both look for roles that align with their personal values and they very much appreciate social interaction in the workplace. Organisational culture and team dynamics were high on the list of priorities for each gender. The study found that women placed slightly more emphasis on work/life balance and personal considerations compared to men, but these differences were relatively small. Overall, there was more shared between the genders than what set them apart. To love and to work according to Freud The lack of difference between men and women at work is only surprising if seen through the gender-biased view of the career aspirations of these two genders and the importance we attach to work. When we consider the role work plays in the life of any human being, regardless of gender, our findings resonate with the work of Sigmund Freud. He stated that every human being should be able to love and to work and that both these things are imperative for healthy
Ambition | JULY/AUGUST 2024 | 27
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