Illuminating gendered organization assumptions

Abstract

One key to why organizations have been less successful at integrating a work–family agenda into their organizational cultures is that workplaces have failed to consider how gender assumptions influence workplace practices, policies and cultures. This paper presents a theoretical framework for considering how gender role assumptions have prevented organizational attempts to become family friendly. Further, this paper uses an organizational case study to illustrate this point. Specifically, a theory of gendered organizations is used to frame an analysis of 30 employee interviews. Data suggest that gendered organizational assumptions inherent to several workplace policies and practices contribute to employee strain associated with negotiating the demands of life on and off the job. Further, the findings show that these gendered organizational assumptions prevent organizations from developing workplace cultures responsive to employees' work, family and personal needs. A brief review of the interdisciplinary work–family field is presented, followed by a discussion of gendered organizations. Then, using interview data collected from management and ‘front‐line’ female and male workers employed at a municipal government, this paper examines how workplace practices, presumably gender neutral, affect employees and the organizational culture in which they work.

Un factor clave en la falta de éxito de organizaciones en sus intentos de integrar asuntos laborales–familiares a la cultura de la organización es que los lugares de trabajo no han considerado como suposiciones de género influyen en las prácticas, políticas y culturas de los lugares de trabajo. Este artículo presenta un marco téorico para considerar como suposiciones sobre roles de género han obstruido intentos organizativos de ofrecer más apoyo a las familias (ser mas ‘family‐friendly’). Además, este articulo utiliza un estudio organizativo para ilustrar este punto. Concretamente, la teoría de Acker 1990 de organizaciones ageneradas se utiliza para formular un análisis de entrevistas de 30 empleados. Los datos sugieren que suposiciones de género organizativas, inherentes a varias políticas y prácticas en lugares de trabajo, contribuyen a la tension que sienten los empleados y que está relacionada con las exigencias de la vida, tanto dentro y fuera del trabajo. Además, los resultados indican que estas suposiciones de género organizativas impiden que las organizaciones fomenten, en los lugares de trabajo, culturas sensibles a las necesidades de los empleados en asuntos laborales, familiares y personales. Se presenta un breve resúmen del campo interdisciplinario laboral–familiar, seguido por una discussión de organizaciones ageneradas. A continuación, este papel utiliza datos de entrevistas con los directives y los trabajadores de primera linea, masculinos y femeninas, empleados de un gobierno municipal, para examinar como las practicás de lugares de trabajo, supuestamente neutrales en asuntos de género, afectan tanto a los empleados como la cultura organizativa que los rodea.

Keywords:

• gendered organizations
• work–family
• organizational change
• organizaciones ageneradas
• laboral–familiar
• cambio organizativo

Notes

In the early 1990s, this urban/county government elected its first female mayor who continues to be in office today.

The Mayor's administrative assistant was chosen to send out the letters, as she is accustomed to issues of confidentiality. She was briefed about the study and was asked to destroy the employee list once the letters were sent to participants.

The senior most level employees (director, deputy director and five superintendents) were all white men until about three months prior to the interview when a white woman replaced one of the men.

Twenty‐eight of the 30 interviews were audio‐taped. Of the two interviews that were not audio‐taped, one interview was conducted via telephone and the other staff member refused to be interviewed with the audio‐tape machine on. In both instances, the interviewer took verbatim notes.

One could argue that the Federal Family/Medical Leave Act is in itself a gendered policy, however, the author will save this discussion for another paper.

As part of the City's Work/Life Initiatives, two divisions had proposed and one started pilot ‘telecommuting’ work arrangements. Six weeks prior to beginning the interviews, data from the pilot project reported that telecommuters produced one‐third more work than the non‐telecommuters.

Preliminary data from the pilot study were quite positive; productivity of employees telecommuting increased 20% during the first eight months of the project.

Contrary to the key senior managers' lingering gendered assumption about employees lives off the job, nearly two‐thirds of Parks and Recreation employees are married or live with a partner and over half have children under 18 years of age (Swanberg & Stevenson, 2001).

Each special event has extensive pre‐event set‐up requirements and breakdown tasks. To get the job done, many times employees are attending to these tasks during pre‐dawn or post‐dusk hours.

Jennifer E. Swanberg, MMHS, PhD is Assistant Professor at the College of Social Work, University of Kentucky. Her research focuses on exploring the nexus between work and family, specifically understanding how the quality of workers' lives on and off the job effect each other. Prior to coming to University of Kentucky, Dr Swanberg worked as a Research Associate at the Families and Work Institute (FWI) in New York City. While at FWI, she authored The 1997 national study of the changing workforce published by the Families and Work Institute, and was active in the Institute's research on work–life supports for low‐income employees and on employer supports for new and expectant parents. Her doctoral research, which was done in collaboration with the Center for Work and Family at Boston University, focused on the work–family needs of low‐wage workers. She has lectured and published on creating work environments supportive of employees' work, personal and family needs. Dr Swanberg has appeared as a work–family expert on national television and radio including MSNBC, CNN, NPR, BBC, CBC and numerous radio stations throughout the USA. Dr Swanberg received her PhD in Social Policy from the Heller School of Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University. She also holds a Master's degree in Human Service Management from the Heller School of Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Occupational Therapy from the University of New Hampshire. Address: College of Social Work, University of Kentucky, 663 POT, Lexington, KY 40506–0027, USA. [email: [email protected]]