Educational attainment and gender differences in work-life balance for couples across Europe: a contextual perspective
Autor/in:
Kromydas, Theocharis
Quelle: Social Inclusion, 8 (2020) 4, S 8-22
Inhalt: The current article aims to explain the interrelationships between the educational attainment of individuals living in households with heterosexual partners, their work–life balance (WLB) and the macro-economic climate of the country they live in, using data from the European Social Survey. WLB is a complex concept, as it is not only determined by factors related to someone’s employment or domestic work and childcare responsibilities, but also by decisions informed by personal experiences and circumstances, subjective perceptions and preferences. Moreover, in households with cohabiting partners, this decision-making process involves certain compromises where financial incentives, interests, gender and power dynamics play an important role. Since educational attainment is positively related to labour market outcomes, such as employment and wages, while at the same time more women are participating in education and the labour market, the gender conflict on the division of work and time within households intensifies and traditional gender roles are challenged. WLB is at the heart of this conflict operating as a mechanism through which division of work and time is reconciled on the individual and household level. Results from the current article reveal great heterogeneity between the 17 European countries examined. Perhaps surprisingly, educational attainment can have a detrimental effect on the WLB of spouses and cohabiting partners, especially for women whose level of WLB seems also more sensitive to fluctuations of the macro-economic climate of the country they live in. However, there is an indication that when an economy goes into recession, higher education has a cushioning effect on female’s WLB compared to relatively better economic times.
"Mummy is in a call": digital technology and executive women's work-life balance
Autor/in:
Nagy, Beáta
Quelle: Social Inclusion, 8 (2020) 4, S 72-80
Inhalt: Research findings confirm the contradictory impact of mobile technology on work–life balance, as these tools both guarantee greater flexibility and contribute to blurring boundaries between private and working spheres. Several articles have been published on women executives’ work–life balance in Western countries; however, their usage of mobile devices remained almost unexplored in the post-socialist region, where in the wake of the transformation not only the unquestioned neoliberal change of the corporate sector but also refamilisation took place. This article gives an overview on the issue of how women executives make use of mobile technology during their everyday activities in Hungary, where not only are the signs of ‘corporate colonization’ present, but also motherhood plays an important role. Based on twenty semi-structured interviews with Hungarian women in senior management positions carried out in 2014 and 2015, the article discusses the perceptions and narratives explained by these women. Results contribute to the ongoing debate on the paradoxical impacts of modern technology on work–life balance and its specificities in the post-socialist context.
Schlagwörter:woman; gender; Mutterschaft; motherhood; neue Technologie; new technology; Technologie; technology; Arbeit; labor; Führungsposition; executive position; Familie-Beruf; work-family balance; Ungarn; Hungary; Interview; interview; boundary management; executive women; technology use
SSOAR Kategorie:Berufsforschung, Berufssoziologie, Technikfolgenabschätzung, Frauen- und Geschlechterforschung
Inhalt: In this article, we draw a parallel between equality of opportunity in educational transitions and equality of opportunity in academic careers. In both cases, many methodological problems can be ameliorated by the use of longitudinal rather than cross-sectional data. We illustrate this point by using Finnish full-population register data to follow the educational and academic careers of the 1964-1966 birth cohorts from birth to the present day. We show how the Finnish professoriate is highly selected both in terms of parental background and in terms of gender. Individuals of different backgrounds differ greatly in the likelihood of completing different educational and academic transitions, but much less in the age at which they make these transitions. By contrast, women’s academic careers differ from those of men both in terms of timing and in terms of rates, with women’s PhDs and full professorships seemingly delayed compared to those of men. We additionally show with the help of a 2015 cross-section of Finnish professors how such differences are easily overlooked in cross-sectional data.
Schlagwörter:Bildung; academic (female); gender; Akademikerin; education; Chancengleichheit; Hochschulbildung; academy; Gender; equality of rights; Akademie; Karriere; Finland; woman; Gleichberechtigung; Akademiker; equal opportunity; Finnland; career; university level of education; academic
SSOAR Kategorie:Wissenschaftssoziologie, Wissenschaftsforschung, Technikforschung, Techniksoziologie, Berufsforschung, Berufssoziologie, Frauen- und Geschlechterforschung
Zwischen "Arzt spielen", "Work-Life-Balance" und "Highend-Medizin": wird "hegemoniale Männlichkeit" in der Medizin herausgefordert?
Titelübersetzung:Between "playing doctor", "work-life-balance", and "highend-medicine": do young doctors challenge "hegemonic masculinity" in the field of medicine?
Quelle: Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung / Forum: Qualitative Social Research, 17 (2016) 1, 30 S
Inhalt: Wir diskutieren die Frage, ob eine sogenannte "Feminisierung" bestehende "maskuline" Machtstrukturen in der Medizin herausfordert. Die Rede von der "Feminisierung der Medizin" setzt sowohl die "Maskulinität" voraus als auch deren Veränderung durch die Erhöhung des Frauenanteils. Wir stellen die Kontrastanalyse zweier Gruppendiskussionen aus der Längsschnittstudie Karriereverläufe und Karrierebrüche bei Ärztinnen und Ärzten während der fachärztlichen Weiterbildung (KarMed) vor; eine Diskussion mit angehenden Ärztinnen und eine mit angehenden Ärzten. Als manifestes Thema wurde Geschlechtlichkeit in beiden Diskussionen im diskursiven Kontext der sogenannten "Feminisierung" eingeführt - bezeichnenderweise im Kontrast zur gleichsam mythisch aufgeladenen Maskulinität der Chirurgie. Das Material unserer Gruppendiskussionen verweist auf eine nach wie vor maskuline Norm im Selbstverständnis der angehenden Ärztinnen und Ärzte. Die Männerrunde konstituierte sich als Gruppe der Ärzteschaft bei allen Differenzen wie selbstverständlich als männliche Norm. Die Frauengruppe konstituierte sich über eine geteilte Identifikation als "Frauen in der Medizin". Das Material wurde mit Methoden der psychoanalytischen Sozialforschung interpretiert und wird in diesem Beitrag im Hinblick auf die Begriffe der Feminisierung und der hegemonialen Männlichkeit diskutiert. (Autorenreferat)
Inhalt: In this contribution we discuss the question of whether the so-called "feminization" of medicine challenges persisting power structures in the field. The notion of the "feminization of medicine" implies both the "masculinity" of the field and its change due to the increasing number of female medical doctors. We present the comparative analysis of two group discussions from the longitudinal study "Career Paths and Career Breaks of Medical Doctors During Residency" (KarMed). One discussion was held with women, one discussion with men, all of whom had just completed their medical studies. In both discussions the theme of gender came up manifestly in the discursive context of the so-called "feminization of medicine". The discussants contrasted this "feminization" with the mythologically laden "masculinity" of surgery. The material of our group discussions indicates a persistent masculine norm in the perception of both female and male doctors. Despite all differences between their members, the group of men constituted itself as a group of medical doctors representing the masculine norm. The group of women constituted itself through shared identifications as "women in medicine". We analyzed the material with psychoanalytic methods in social research and we discuss our interpretations in relation to the notions of "feminization" and of "hegemonic masculinity". (author's abstract)
Still a perfect model? The gender impact of vocational training in Germany
Autor/in:
Haasler, Simone
Quelle: Journal of Vocational Education & Training, 67 (2015) 1, S 78-92
Inhalt: Reconstructing the parallel structure of ‘dual’ and ‘school-based’ vocational routes reveals the close connection between the German vocational training system and the segmentation of the labour market by gender. The example of jobs in childcare and pre-primary education shows that the legacy of semi-professionalism in these occupations is not just rooted in the nature of training and working conditions, but complexly interlinks with the prevalence of the male breadwinner model sustained by social policy regulations and the German taxation system. In France, by contrast, the central state takes responsibility for the provision of childcare from zero to six years of age to support female labour force participation and dual-earner couples. This has also fostered professionalisation in the respective occupations. Whilst this may not necessarily induce a degendering process at the level of horizontal segregation of vocational qualifications, it facilitates gender equality in terms of vertical mobility and the professional status of women.
Schlagwörter:Federal Republic of Germany; Berufsbildung; vocational education; Bildungswesen; education system; Arbeitsmarktsegmentation; labor market segmentation; Professionalisierung; professionalization; Gleichstellung; affirmative action; Segregation; segregation; duales System; dual system; soziale Dienste; social services; Arbeitskräftebedarf; manpower requirements; Pflegedienst; nursing services; Sozialpolitik; social policy; Wohlfahrtsstaat; welfare state; Arbeitsmarkt; labor market; gender-specific factors; Familienpolitik; family policy; Kinderbetreuung; child care; Vorschule; preschool school; Arbeitsbedingungen; working conditions; Qualifikationsstruktur; structure of qualification; gender; soziale Konstruktion; social construction; labour market segmentation; school-based VET; social services; tertiarisation; staff shortages
SSOAR Kategorie:Bildungswesen quartärer Bereich, Berufsbildung, Berufsforschung, Berufssoziologie, Frauen- und Geschlechterforschung
Quelle: DIE Zeitschrift für Erwachsenenbildung, (2008) 4, S 43-45
Inhalt: Der vorliegende Beitrag betrachtet EQF und DQR als Herausforderung und Chance, auch für Beschäftigte in der Weiterbildung zu einem kompetenzorientierten Qualifikationsrahmen zu kommen. Gerade in Bezug auf die Lehrenden könnte ein solcher Bezugsrahmen Klarheit schaffen und vielfältig Nutzen stiften. Ein erstes Referenzmodell wurde im Rahmen einer Expertise für das BMBF erarbeitet, es orientiert sich an hiesigen Vorarbeiten und nimmt auch Anleihen bei ausländischen Modellen. Die Ausarbeitung ist letztlich dem Interesse an mehr Professionalisierung und Qualität in der Weiterbildung geschuldet.
Inhalt: This article presents a specific qualifications framework for the sector of further education, consisting of a two-stage model (basic and advanced certificates). This touches on the discussion about the EQF and DQR as a motivation and opportunity for the professionalisation of further education. The model takes up examples from Austria and Switzerland and is aligned toward preliminary work in Germany.
Schlagwörter:Weiterbildung; further education; Bildung; education; Bundesministerium; Federal Ministry; Federal Republic of Germany; Europa; Europe; Qualifikation; qualification; Personal; personnel; Lehre; apprenticeship; Professionalisierung; professionalization; Qualität; quality; gender; Erwachsenenbildung; adult education; Geschlechterpolitik; gender policy; Berufsbildung; vocational education; Bildungsangebot; educational offerings; Exklusion; exclusion
SSOAR Kategorie:Bildungswesen quartärer Bereich, Berufsbildung, Frauen- und Geschlechterforschung, Berufsforschung, Berufssoziologie
Predictors of work ability in occupations with psychological stress
Titelübersetzung:Vorhersage der Arbeitsfähigkeit in Berufen mit psychologischem Stress
Autor/in:
Seibt, Reingard; Spitzer, Silvia; Blank, Matthes; Scheuch, Klaus
Quelle: Journal of Public Health, 17 (2008) 1, S 9-18
Inhalt: Aim: This study aimed to detect health- and work-related predictors of poor and good work ability in teachers (TE) and office workers (OW). Method: Work ability and its influence factors were analyzed in 100 female TE and 60 female OW aged between 25 and 60 years. The work ability was evaluated with the work ability index questionnaire and the health status with the vitality measurement system®. In addition, cardiac risk factors, burnout risk, as well as the working demands and effort-reward ratio were taken into account. Predictors of work ability were analyzed by using a CHAID analysis. The number of complaints represents the best predictor to divide both occupational groups into subgroups with different work abilities (criterion variable). Results: Poor work ability is caused by many complaints and cardiovascular risk factors. By contrast, excellent work ability is associated with few complaints, the occupation “office workers,” a younger vital functional age, and the absence of burnout symptoms, which means in comparison with OW, TE have a 1.6 times higher risk for impaired work ability. Furthermore, the absence of burnout symptoms is a resource of TE, whereas OWs tend to have a younger vital functional age compared to their calendrical age. Although this analysis is able to explain 61.2% of the influence on impaired work ability, research for further causes must be undertaken. Conclusion: The results reflect the positive effect of a high educational level and a challenging job on the preservation of good work ability. Moreover, they draw the attention to the psychological and psychosocial strains of TE. TEs are exposed more frequently to feeling overstrained; this probably effects a higher retirement rate due to illness.