Women and the Work/Family Dilemma: How Today's Professional Women Are Confronting the Maternal Wall - Hardcover

Swiss, Deborah J.; Walker, Judith P.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0471533181 ISBN 13: 9780471533184

Publisher: Wiley, 1993

Synopsis

Based on a ten-year, in-depth survey of 900 women graduates from Harvard's professional schools, it defines in honest and realistic terms how today's working mothers are leading their lives. Reinvents work and family life, offering indispensable advice for those who want to prove themselves at work and also be part of their children's lives.

About this title

From Kirkus Reviews

Surveying 902 female graduates of Harvard's business, law, and medical schools over a ten-year period, Swiss (an independent consultant) and Walker (a consultant for child care at Harvard) conclude that few have it all--that even wealthy, educated, married women pay professional penalties for having families. Women achieve professional success in spite of having families, the authors say: The ``glass ceiling'' that keeps women from rising is firmly supported by a ``maternal wall.'' Those who do succeed--the ``fast-trackers''--establish their careers before they have children; negotiate for flexible working hours; build solid support-systems that include, ideally, live-in help, an involved mate, and adaptable kids; and overcome guilt, inefficiency, and the ``seductive baby'' syndrome, the lure of mothering. Alternatives include half-day jobs, alternate-day jobs, and job-sharing--but women in these jobs often are overqualified, underpaid, consigned to the ``B'' team, and required to conceal from patients or clients that they are working part-time. Risky and professionally isolated, but offering the most autonomy and flexibility, is self-employment, especially as an entrepreneur. Some women, the authors say, put ``ambition on hold'' and become full-time mothers. For those who pursue careers, handling their families requires the same skills as handling their professions: ``the right partnership,'' planning, and negotiation. Swiss and Walker offer advice for husbands (be better parents), employers (institute on-site day-care centers and allow work at home), and working women (demand change, express anger and frustration). Full of useful advice for the favored few who have the means to follow it, though many women--the poor, the poorly educated, the unmarried, and others who have to ``sweat the small stuff'' that these successful women apparently avoid--will find little of relevance here. -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

From Library Journal

The authors surveyed women graduates of Harvard professional schools over a ten-year period, using a sample that consisted of 902 surveys and 50 personal interviews. With both data and anecdotes, they show how this group of high-profile, upper-income lawyers, doctors, and businesswomen organize their home and work lives. Among the topics discussed are the detrimental effects of taking maternity leave. The authors conclude with a list of practical suggestions for employees and employers to begin a transformation of the workplace to better support balanced lives. For example, employers might support job-sharing teams and telecommuting, while employees should establish themselves professionally before having children and should not be afraid to establish personal criteria for "success." Ultimately, there are no surprises here, recommending this book for comprehensive collections only.
- Nancy Magnuson, Goucher Coll. Lib., Baltimore
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Wiley
• Publication date: 1993
• ISBN 10: 0471533181
• ISBN 13: 9780471533184
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 253