“OPTING OUT”   CHALLENGING STEREOTYPES AND CREATING REAL OPTIONS FOR WOMEN

Pamela Stone Hunter College & Graduate Center City University of New York

Presentation prepared for the Conference on Women in LeadershipSponsored by the Pepperdine Graduate School of Education & Psychology

Omni Hotel, Los Angeles, CAMarch 13, 2014

opt intransitive verb \ˈäpt\ : to make a choice; especially : to decide in favor of something.

op·tion noun \ˈäp-shən\ : 1: an act of choosing2a : the power or right to choose : freedom of choice

opt out intransitive verb : to choose not to participate in something —often used with of <opted out of the project>Courtesy of Merriam-Webster

WOMEN’S REPRESENTATION IN THE PROFESSIONS AND IN LEADERSHIP POSITIONS (%)

Mgm

t, Pr

of &

Rel

ated

Occ

s

Exec

Offi

cers

For

tune

500

Top

Earn

ers Ex

ec O

ffice

rs F

500

Full

Prof

esso

rs M

edical

Sch

ools

Law S

choo

l Dea

ns

Equi

ty Law

Par

tner

s0

20

40

60

Sources: Catalyst 2012; Association of American Medical Colleges 2012

20%

40%

HIGH-ACHIEVING WOMEN’S TIME OUT OF CAREER

Sources: Reimers & Stone 2008; Hewlett & Luce 2005; Goldin & Katz 2008

MYTH #1 They’re traditional.

I always assumed that I was going to work when I had children and I didn’t understand why anyone wouldn’t. --Marina, 43, former health care executive

There’s this perception that women who stay at home are empty and all they do is country club and manicure and all that. That’s the image you have of at-home mothers when you’re a working woman.

--Meg, 41, former trader

I find it extremely hard on my self-esteem and my ego. People ask you “What do you do?”

--Rachel, 40, former trader

It was like all of a sudden I didn’t exist. You know, six months ago I was working in the U.S. Attorney’s office and my name was in the New York Times. Now I’m nobody.

--Maeve, 52, former lawyer

MYTH #2 They’re not competent —or ambitious.

INTERVIEWEES’ EDUCATION

MBA26%

JD13%

MD4%OTHER

7%

BA 50%

Source: Stone 2007

MYTH #3 They quit because of family.

I lied! “Oh, I’m not unhappy with my job, it’s because of the baby.”

Trudy, 42, former IT manager

The high-tech work week is really 60 hours, not 40. Nobody works 9-to-5 any more.

--Nathalie, 39, former marketing executive

There’s no overtime pay. I would have been in a position where I might be “working 20 hours,” but really working 40. --Mirra, 37, former engineer

I just felt I would be a nobody if I quit. Well, I was sort of a nobody working [part-time] too. So, it was sort of, “Which nobody do you want to be?”

--Patricia, 44, former marketing manager

MYTH #4

They’ll only leave anyway.

On announcing I was pregnant, the expectation was “Baby—gone.”

--Holly, 39, former publicist

When you job share, you have MOMMY stamped in huge letters on your head.

--Christine, 40, former marketing executive

I mean I started to hear through the rumor mill that they weren't counting on me coming back. According to a friend of mine who was very connected, and she said to me, "You know, the management really doesn't want to see you back.”

--Nathalie, 39, former marketing executive

MYTH #5 They work for bad companies.

Seamless EntryAdvancement and Upward Trajectory

Motherhood and Career

Workplace Inflexibility and

StallCareer Exit

STAGES OF CAREER DISENGAGEMENT

Seamless EntryAdvancement and Upward Trajectory

Motherhood and Career

Workplace Inflexibility and

StallCareer Exit

Re-Entry

THE NEXT STAGE: RE-ENTRY

EMPLOYMENT OUTCOMES: FOLLOW-UP

N = 30

30%

37%

33%

Part TimeFull TimeAt Home

RE-ENTRY AND REDIRECTION

35%

50%

15%

Time 2Time 1

50%

10%

40%

Time 1

Male-Dominated (0-39% women)

Female-Domi-nated (60-100% women)

Mixed (40-59% women)

Time 1 Re-entry Time 20%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Shift to contingent work

Permanent

Contingent

N = 20

WHERE WOULD THEY BE NOW?Name of Participant  Where Would They Be Now? Where Are They Now?

Maeve Turner  State- or Federal-Level Judge At Home

Nan Driscoll VP & Editor-in-Chief PT English as Second Language Teacher’s Aide

Tess WaverlyVice-President, Healthcare Corporation

PT Doctor’s Office Assistant

Helena Norton Head, Private School 

Director, School Advisory Services for Non-Profit Parents Group

Mirra LopezBranch Manager, Engineering Company

 At Home

Elizabeth Brand Senior Vice President, Management Consulting Firm At Home

Patricia Lambert“The head of whatever I was doing”

 At Home

Brooke Coakley COO, HospitalPT Hospital Project Manager

Karen GordonUpper-level Manager, Biotechnology Firm

PT Freelance Biotech Project Manager

Denise HortasVice-President, Pharmaceutical Company

Vice-President,Pharmaceutical Company

opt intransitive verb \ˈäpt\ : to make a choice; especially : to decide in favor of something.

op·tion noun \ˈäp-shən\ : 1: an act of choosing2a : the power or right to choose : freedom of choice

opt out intransitive verb : to choose not to participate in something —often used with of <opted out of the project>Courtesy of Merriam-Webster