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Respectable femininity and career agency : exploring paradoxical imperatives
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Fernando, Dulini and Cohen, Laurie (2014) Respectable femininity and career agency : exploring paradoxical imperatives. Gender, Work & Organization, Volume 21 (Number 2). pp. 149-164. doi:10.1111/gwao.12027 ISSN 0968-6673.
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Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/gwao.12027
Abstract
This paper places respectable femininity at the very centre of career enactment. In the accounts of 24 Sri Lankan women, notions of being a ‘respectable’ woman recurred as respondents described how important it was to adhere to the powerful behavioural norms for women in their organizations and society. However while such respectability was vital for women's career progression, it ultimately restricted their agency and conflicted with other requirements for advancement. Based on our empirical findings, we propose that being a respectable woman was experienced as paradox, where at times it was seen as impossible to be both a good woman and a successful careerist. We highlight the implications of our findings for women's careers in South Asia and more widely.
Item Type: | Journal Article | ||||||
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Subjects: | H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor | ||||||
Divisions: | Faculty of Social Sciences > Warwick Business School | ||||||
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH): | Women -- Employment -- Sri Lanka , Career development -- Women -- Sri Lanka , Sex discrimination in employment -- Moral and ethical aspects -- Sri Lanka , Labor Market -- Sex differences -- Sri Lanka | ||||||
Journal or Publication Title: | Gender, Work & Organization | ||||||
Publisher: | Blackwell Publishing | ||||||
ISSN: | 0968-6673 | ||||||
Official Date: | March 2014 | ||||||
Dates: |
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Volume: | Volume 21 | ||||||
Number: | Number 2 | ||||||
Number of Pages: | 15 | ||||||
Page Range: | pp. 149-164 | ||||||
DOI: | 10.1111/gwao.12027 | ||||||
Status: | Peer Reviewed | ||||||
Publication Status: | Published | ||||||
Access rights to Published version: | Restricted or Subscription Access |
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