BEING 'BOSS' AT HOME MAY UNDERMINE WOMEN'S AMBITION AT WORK
WASHINGTON: Working women who are in charge of their households are less inclined to pursue a career or promotional prospects outside of family concerns, says a new research. Running the home made them less likely to pursue promotions and other career advancement steps at the office, unlike men, whose goals were unchanged by their domestic role, said a new University of California Berkeley study.
"It appears being in charge of household decisions may bring a semblance of power to women's traditional role, to the point where they may have less desire to push against obstacles to achieve additional power outside home," said Berkeley Psychologist, Serena Chen.
Despite the feminist movement and other gender equity efforts, women largely retain authority over child-rearing and household chores and finances, with men deferring to their expertise in these matters, researchers point out. This paradigm has had an impact on women's career choices, the study implies.
"Women may make decisions such as not going after a high-status promotion at work, or not seeking to work full-time, without realising why," said Melissa Wimmiams, an assistant professor of business at Emory University and lead author of the study.
"To realise true gender equality in both the private and public spheres, our results suggest that women may need to at least partially abdicate their role of ultimate household deciders, and men must agree to share such decision making," Chen suggested. — Agencies
