Kate Purcell
The impact of partnership and family-building on the early careers of female graduates in the UK
Purcell, Kate; Wilton, Nick
Authors
Nicholas Wilton Nicholas.Wilton@uwe.ac.uk
Faculty Academic Director - Strategic Partnerships
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to outline the impact of partnership and familybuilding on the aspirations, expectations and orientations to work of a sample of highly qualified women working across a range of industry sectors. Design/methodology/approach – This paper draws on both qualitative and quantitative data collected in a longitudinal study of the early careers of UK graduates, incorporating both a largescale questionnaire survey and detailed interviews with a sample of respondents. Findings – This paper highlights the persistence of gender asymmetries in both employment and domestic partnership and shows the complex decisionmaking process which determines career prioritization among equally highly qualified partners. It also provides evidence of change in the values, priorities and orientations to work and the worklife balance of UK graduates as they progress through early career development. Practical implications – The extent to which highly qualified women use (and are sometimes precipitated by circumstances into using) the life stage associated with stable partnership formation and familybuilding to reassess values and priorities has implications for both policymakers and employers. In particular, employers need to take account of changing orientations in work and life stage in formulating effective recruitment and retention strategies for highqualified workers. Originality/value – This paper provides new data on how dualcareer partnerships negotiate the transition from, in career terms, single entities into dyads and the dynamics of gender role change and stability. © 2010, Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Citation
Purcell, K., & Wilton, N. (2010). The impact of partnership and family-building on the early careers of female graduates in the UK. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal, 29(3), 271-288. https://doi.org/10.1108/02610151011028868
Journal Article Type | Article |
---|---|
Publication Date | Mar 26, 2010 |
Deposit Date | Jan 4, 2011 |
Publicly Available Date | Mar 29, 2024 |
Journal | Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal |
Print ISSN | 2040-7149 |
Electronic ISSN | 1758-7093 |
Publisher | Emerald |
Peer Reviewed | Peer Reviewed |
Volume | 29 |
Issue | 3 |
Pages | 271-288 |
DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/02610151011028868 |
Keywords | graduates, dual-career couples, gender, family roles, equal opportunities, United Kingdom |
Public URL | https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/989356 |
Publisher URL | http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/02610151011028868 |
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