“ Womancession” or rationalization: the disappearance of office support jobs

“ Womancession” or rationalization: the disappearance of office support jobs.

  In the past two years, more than one article, social report, economic research, blog has told about “new period” – the end of the “mancession” and the beginning of the “womancession”. A new word reflects the facts that women suffer more from rising unemployment.

  Since the recession ended in 2009, the growth in jobs has gone to men while the level of women’s employment has declined. According to Naomi Cahn (2011) and Heather Boushey, men gained over a million jobs in 2010, while woman lost a total of  281,000. These trends are set to worsen. As Littlejohn (2011) states ‘the number of women claiming unemployment benefit is rising, largely because of a drop in part-time working and the loss of jobs in the so-called 'caring' sector’. There are other factors that go into a deeper understanding  “women at work”.

  In this essay, I have tried to consider the following questions based on material studied: why women earn less than  men, how women invested in both work and non-work responsibilities and why prefer full-time or part-time working, what difficulties are encountered in choice of work and career development, what measures must be taken  to attract women’s workforce.

  Frank Olsson (2011) in his ‘Letter to the editor’ notices that “extreme jobs” relieve the quality of life for men and women, but women are afflicted more. For construction their career and family responsibilities, women have to sacrifice leisure time more than men do. In fact, the average married man has the equivalent of over five 40-hour weeks more leisure time each year than the average married woman (Olsson, 2011).

  Alice H. Eagly and L. Carli (2007, p.5) designate that ‘women continue to be the ones who interrupt their careers, take more days off, and work part-time’. The least amount of work experience and the least amount of hours of employment per year leads to a decrease in woman’s career progress and earnings. The GAO researchers (Eagly, Carli, 2007) could prove this statement, their results shows that women earned about 44% less than men. For women, marriage and parenthood were linked up with lower wages than for men. They make only 77 cents for every dollar paid to men for equal work, and lower earning capacity means they're less equipped to weather recessions. The majority of women, for various reasons, are concentrated on low wages (Covert, 2011). This indicates the following: 1.7 million work as nursing home aides, 1.3 million as maids and housekeepers and 1.2 million as childcare workers (Covert, 2011).

  According to Alice H. Eagly (2007), the scarcity of female corporate officers is the sum of discrimination. For example, in such feminine areas such as nursing, librarianship, elementary education, and social work, men climbed the corporate level to administrative positions more quickly than women. Statistics confirm this assertion: 28,153 is the number of sex discrimination claim; 6,724£ is the average award for sex discrimination (Women and Work: the facts, 2008)

  O’Neil and Hopkins review (2008) demonstrates that for satisfaction and success in life issues, the modern woman has a desire to succeed professionally and personally. Meanwhile, organizational realities, based on the time when working men were the dominant element, continue to divide between life and career. Such companies are exposed to the stereotype that continuous full-time is inessential for career development and force a woman to choose. O’Neil (2008) specifies that ‘there is support for women personally benefiting from multiple roles, but more evidence to suggest that women’s multiple roles are not rewarded organizationally’.

  The literature includes the wild range of recommendations for the creation of organizational work–life benefits such as: parenting leaves, reduced hours, flexible work hours, alternative career paths, job-sharing and telecommuting are just some of the organizational policies that exist. (Shweta, n.d.) Providing flexible working for women, release them from difficult choices and provide them with an opportunity to combine a career and personal life.

   A flexible work schedule represents as an alternative to the traditional 9 to 5, 40-hour work week, which allows employees to vary their arrival and/or departure times (Shweta, n.d.). Alternative work arrangements such as flexible work schedules are a matter of agreement between the employer and the employee (or the employee’s representative).

  Flexible working hours for women could ameliorate “the status of women”, but fewer and fewer institutions are willing to offer this job. For instance, IT-companies would have to expand its positions to engage working mothers who is more efficient at work with flexible working hours and maintaining a healthy life-work balance (Shweta, n.d.).  Shweta L. Khare (n.d.) expressed her opinion:

I feel it is more for the woman to present herself in a light of an efficient worker when      demanding or requesting a flex time schedule at work. Present your case that highlights your ability to work better and more efficiently when working in a balanced environment which provides enrichment and clearly divides your time between family and work.

   According to a survey produced by Flexible Resources, 64 % of women surveyed 500 throw or think of resignation a job because of inability to move to a flexible work schedule, and 59 % at all fearful of losing their jobs. Younger women are more assertive in seeking flexible work arrangements than older women; 72 percent of women between the age of 25 and 35 were willing to request in comparing with  only 30 % of women between aged 36 to 45 (Shweta, n.d.).

   Referring to O’Neil and Hopkins (2008) and their research, women’s career should be encouraged in three main ideas:

• the intersection of woman’s careers and lives
• definitions of career success for women
• the intersection of organizational practice and individual career development.

  According to research, the organization must maintain and assist developing women's careers, in other words, organizations should be active participants throughout the women’s career development. At an early stage to be mentors in solving complex problems, efficiently manage the operation. Provide with a flexible working hours required the woman in the middle of her career, to help mediate in the critical moments. Suggest improvement to a higher position, unnecessarily to this step when a woman accumulated sufficient knowledge and experience to qualify for the executive positions(O’Neil and Bilimoria, 2008). The author points out that a woman always is in search of opportunities to develop and apply their skills and knowledge and reliance on them in creative and innovative methods (O’Neil and Bilimoria, 2008).

  As noted above, at different stages of women’s career development, the organization's flexibilities should  satisfy the women’s realities. According to the fact that women are invested in both work and non-work responsibilities, organizational policies and practices must support them in attaining success if they are to be considered organizations of choice for talented women (O’Neil and Bilimoria, 2008).

    More specifically, if a company wants to see more women theу are should take the following actions:

  Change the long-hours norm.

  Managers may resort to “hours spent at work” as the primary assessment of the relative contributions of individuals. Instead, it would be better shift the emphasis on objective labor productivity figures (Eagly, Carli, 2007).

 Ensure a critical mass of women in executive positions—not just one or two women.

  Pursuant to  Eagly and Carli, (2007), ‘token women tend to be pegged into narrow stereotypical roles such as “seductress,” “mother,” “pet,” or “iron maiden.” Pigeonholing like this limits women’s options and makes it difficult for them to rise to positions of responsibility.’

  

  Establish family-friendly human resources practices.

  These may include flextime, job sharing, telecommuting, elder care provisions, adoption benefits, dependent child care options, and employee-sponsored on-site child care. Such measures will help women to balance between work and family and stay in their positions on time raising children, building social capital and thus struggle for promotion.

  Welcome women back.

  Eagly and Carli, (2007) suggest, ‘it makes sense to give highperforming women who step away from the workforce an opportunity to return to responsible positions when their circumstances change’. Many companies are trying to organize the so-called ‘alumni’ programs to engage older workers in new projects. Thus, women no longer have to fear losing their place and they can always take time out to raise children, and then continue building a career in a new line. For example, Procter &Gamble imagine the alumni as a source for subcontractors (Eagly, Carli, 2007).

Encourage male participation in family-friendly benefits.

  The challenge is that only women use family-friendly benefits. According to Eagly and Carli (2007), ‘having many more women than men take such benefits can harm the careers of women in general because of the expectation that they may well exercise those options. Any effort toward greater family friendliness should actively recruit male participation to avoid inadvertently making it harder for women to gain access to essential managerial roles.’

 Avoid having a sole female member of any team.

 Some studies have shown that when an organization dominated by the number of women, especially in leading positions, in this case as a rule men are beginning to ignore them. Eagly and Carli(2007) in  their article provide an example of a woman vice-president of company: ’A female vice president of a manufacturing company described how, when she or another woman ventures an idea in a meeting, it tends to be overlooked: “It immediately gets lost in the conversation. Then two minutes later, a man makes the same suggestion, and it’s ‘Wow! What a great idea!’ And you sit there and think, ‘What just happened?’”

  Prepare women for line management with appropriately demanding assignments.

  If women are not requiring of standing on a place want all the time increase career wise, to develop their skills, they should have the benefit of career development. But, as one woman executive wrote ( Eadly and Carli, 2007), “Women have been shunted off into support areas for the last 30 years, rather than being in the business of doing business, so the pool of women trained to assume leadership positions in any large company is very small.” According to a report by Claudia Deutsch in the New York Times (Eagly and Carli,2007), ‘the company was experiencing an executive attrition rate that was twice as high for women as for men’. For example, P&G’s focuses on engaging more women into the line management, creates conditions for the retention of women in their positions and increase their numbers in senior management.

    Summarizing the above described, I can say that the question "womancession" not yet fully understood. After the recession in 2009, there was a shift- "mancesion" began to give way to "womancession". This contributed to reducing the state, increasing the number of men in high positions, encouragements more male labor force, compared with women, gender discrimination, lack of support organizations during the growth of women's careers, the inability to switch to part-time employment, etc.

  Recalling Eagly (2007), the number of women taking holidays, switching to part-time, is rising from year to year. At the time, as their income level gradually drops due to lack of knowledge and experience. However, this is not the only reason. Most organizations provide development and career advancement for men but not women. Many respects of sex discrimination. Some companies still hold the principle that only men can take leadership positions, as quickly make important decisions and firm in their intentions.

  In order to obtain satisfaction from all stages of life, a woman stands before a choice - how to combine work and family. This is not so easy. However, the reality of organizations said that the only full-time is available for growth and advancement. The literature recommends many organizational methods for granting privileges for women, such as reducing the amount of work, the provision of part-time schedule. The latter could create the conditions for combining work and family responsibilities. Such measures could present a woman as an effective employee and give impetus for further career growth. According to statistics (Shweta, n.d.) , 64% go to work because of inability to move to part-time employment, while 59% never asked about the part-time schedule because of losing work. Organizations are always solely responsible to provide support at different stages of career. At an early stage "attach" mentors for rapid training and implementation in a production process. In mid-career, give opportunity and time to construct family duties, in the form of part-time schedule. At the peak of career, for woman is necessary the ability to take high positions, be the instructor.

   To overcome the difficulties, support for women and increasing female labor force participation, the authors( Eagly and Carli, 2007) offer a range of methods. First, is to give women a part-time working hours, keep for them their place during the creation and rearing of children, open more temporary work positions such as office support jobs. Create family-friendly benefits, such as flextime, job sharing, telecommuting, elder care provisions, adoption benefits, dependent child care options. What will help the woman to leave time to raise children, build social capital and fight for the promotion. Involve men in the fate of friendly-family benefits, so that the lines of authority, to reduce the competition between man and woman for the position and allow the claim to be paid over the place.

   To allow women of returning to their positions or involve "older" workers in the new projects. Such an approach will encourage women hold their workplaces, reduce the number of layoffs, and will be an incentive to create new ideas. Try to avoid sexual discrimination and the predominance of female over male groups that would enable men to feel the leaders, but not ignored the views of women, but  heed it. Prepare women for line management positions, thereby keeping them in their seats,  increasing their number in senior management. In this case, the organization can be successful if women in their number would be half of their male colleagues.

  After studying the issue, collect and analyze materials, my opinion connected with a method to introduce part-time employment. Organizations time to say goodbye with the stereotype of a full working day. Now is a crazy time, everybody is trying to catch everything all at once. This is especially important for a woman who wants to create a family and to develop as individuals. Women would be easier to maintain a balance between work and family, working 4-5 hours a day. In this case, it could get the necessary experience and grow as a professional, be sure that what does and does qualify for higher positions. Organizations were able to provide support in the form of preserving jobs for women, to increase social capital and be more successful. I think this will be explored in the nearest future and possibly find new optimal solutions to support women. Maybe soon, women will begin to develop their own organizations.