The current dominant culture of presenteeism has made it difficult for working women to juggle between office hours and motherhood.
Thanks to advancements in social thinking, working women are no longer discriminated against by society. In fact, a survey conducted last year revealed that 40 percent of households in the United States have mothers as the sole bread earners of the family. Unfortunately, a new study revealed that current office decorum may be making it difficult for women to juggle between working hours and motherhood. The current dominant culture of presenteeism, which demands employees remain at the desk until late, even if there is nothing to do, makes it difficult for women.
To negotiate working hours, women are requested to come in early or stay back late. Most working environments also demand that employees stay back after work to socialize with colleagues or clients in the evenings. More often than not, these timings clash with a working mother's childcare responsibilities. The only alternative women see in such cases is to quit their jobs and stay at home to fulfil their maternal duties.
"Unless mothers mimic successful men, they do not look the part for success in organizations," said Emma Cahusac, series producer of BBC Television's "The Culture Show" in a press statement.
For the study, researchers interviewed 26 mothers based in London who had quit their jobs while pregnant or following their return to work after giving birth but before their first child reached school age. The interviewees had been in professional and managerial jobs.
Researchers found that 21 of these mothers left their job because they felt "side-lined" after returning to work from their maternity leave. All the resignations were voluntary. Also, most working women admitted that they not only accepted but also encouraged the masculine culture of a workplace before they became mothers
"The male partners never talked about their families," said Nadia, a lawyer. "They've been very adept at keeping that separation between work and home."
Many working mothers also need to hide the fact that they were taking time off to look after their sick child. Some mothers also admitted that they had to hide the fact that they had children to fit into the masculine culture of their workplace.
Susan, an ex-banker said that her need to leave by six in the evening provoked "barbed comments" from a woman who did not have children.
"I would be in work by eight, but I would have to leave by six and actually I could do the job perfectly well," she said.
Susan was also one of them women who quit her job and returned to her former banking company.
"Many women leave high-powered jobs because they are relegated to lesser roles and feel the need to suppress their identities as mothers," said Shireen Kanji, Senior Lecturer in Work and Organization at the University of Leicester School of Management. "This is not only unfair. As an economy, we cannot afford to waste such skilled and educated workers."
Findings of the study were published in the journal Gender, Work and Organization.
