Gendered challenge, gendered response: confronting the ideal worker norm in a white-collar organization

Details

• Personal Author:
  Ammons SK ; Chermack K ; Kelly EL ; Moen P
• Description:
  This article integrates research on gendered organizations and the work-family interface to investigate an innovative workplace initiative, the Results-Only Work Environment (ROWE), implemented in the corporate headquarters of Best Buy, Inc. While flexible work policies common in other organizations "accommodate" individuals, this initiative attempts a broader and deeper critique of the organizational culture. We address two research questions: How does this initiative attempt to change the masculinized ideal worker norm? And what do women's and men's responses reveal about the persistent ways that gender structures work and family life? Data demonstrate the ideal worker norm is pervasive and powerful, even as employees begin critically examining expectations regarding work time that have historically privileged men. Employees' responses to ROWE are also gendered. Women (especially mothers) are more enthusiastic, while men are more cautious. Ambivalence about and resistance to change is expressed in different ways depending on gender and occupational status. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Behavior Family Men Mental Health Occupational Health Safety Women Workplace
• Keywords:
  Attitude Author Keywords: Work/Family Culture Employees Families Job-analysis Psychological-responses Work-operations Work-organization Work-practices Work/Occupations Workers Workplace-studies

  More +
• ISSN:
  0891-2432
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Minnesota ; Nebraska ; OSHA Region 5 ; OSHA Region 7
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  281-303
• Volume:
  24
• Issue:
  3
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20042149
• Citation:
  Gend Soc 2010 Jun; 24(3):281-303
• Contact Point Address:
  Erin L. Kelly, Department of Sociology, University of Minnesota, 909 Social Sciences, 267 19th Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55455
• Email:
  kelly101@umn.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2010
• Performing Organization:
  Portland State University
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050901
• Source Full Name:
  Gender & Society
• End Date:
  20081130
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:3f50e3d153df81adbacb1f95a93809173f2590c436d6221ce8d486072d893240d6ab3df8809dddeb026e652810c94dbd57ffa8c804c73cd5c44b825e7c4fa653
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/194467/cdc_194467_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 251.84 KB ]