Having It All? Strategies of Women Corrections Executives to Maintain a Work-Life Balance

ABSTRACT

Within the last 20 years, women have benefited from increased opportunity for employment in traditionally male dominated fields. Yet, they continue to face inequality in the home, where they shoulder a disproportionate share of domestic responsibilities. Referred to as “the second shift” by Hochschild in 1989, these ascribed gender roles remain resistant to change. Based on surveys and interviews with members of the Association of Women Executives in Corrections (AWEC), this study examines how the challenges of achieving a work-life balance impacts women’s desires for, or ability to, compete for promotion in the field of corrections. The authors found that women corrections executives cited difficulties in achieving a work-life balance as a primary challenge to serving in executive-level roles. But despite their own professional accomplishments, they believed that the challenge of achieving a work-life balance remains a primary reason that women continue to be underrepresented as corrections executives. Study implications suggest that family friendly policies and support at the departmental level, for both men and women, might encourage more women to apply to the executive ranks.

KEYWORDS:

• Women corrections executives
• promotion
• work-life balance
• wardens
• upward mobility

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the Women of AWEC for their commitment to education, research and women’s leadership, especially Theresa Lantz, Patricia Caruso, and Patty Davis.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. The second biggest challenge cited was politics (18%; n = 8), followed by navigating an old boy’s network (11%; n = 5).