ABSTRACT
Today's professionals, especially women, are caught in a time paradox: can they build a career and a family at the same time? The Part-time Paradox explores the conflict and tension between the time demands of career and family life, and the choice of part-time work as a solution.
The changing demographics of the family and the work place make it increasingly difficult for both men and women to meet the escalating time pressures facing a doctor, lawyer or manager. This book examines the social problems associated with demanding work schedules and choices, and also illustrates successful alternatives to full-time employment. It draws on interviews with attorneys in large law firms, in-house corporate counsels, and government service in order to explore the multiple dimensions of the part-time work solution. Although attitudes are beginning to change, one of the greatest impediments to part-time work is the stigma attached to it in many organizations, and the consequences for the careers of individuals who take it. Professionals define themselves, in part, by their commitment to overtime. The authors reveal how cultural perspectives of the true professional, part-time work, and stereotypes about gender roles can influence both an individual's decision making process and office policy. They show that in an environment where professionals perceive part-time work as deviant, it may require not just perserverance, but also a trade-off between time flexibility and professional status.
The authors consider issues ranging from job security and the consequences of new technology, to the economics of part-time work and the division of labor in the family. The Part-time Paradox provides a timely overview of a growing crisis, as part-time and flex-time work arrangements increase.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
part |25 pages
The Social Meaning of Professional Time
chapter |7 pages
Introduction
chapter |5 pages
The Social Context of Time Deviance
chapter |9 pages
Time and the Practices and Rituals of the Legal Profession
part |25 pages
Cultural Perspectives on Part-Time Work and its Consequences
chapter |9 pages
Part-Time Work as Deviance: Stigmatization and its Consequences
chapter |7 pages
Perspectives on Accommodating Part-Time Work
chapter |5 pages
Calculating the Economics of Part-Time Work
part |48 pages
Career Issues and Problems in Part-Time Legal Work
chapter |20 pages
Mobility
chapter |4 pages
Part Time Status and Rank Discrepancies: Status Incongruity
chapter |7 pages
Commitment and Professional Status
chapter |3 pages
Collegiality
chapter |6 pages
Justice and Fairness
part |20 pages
The Family and Part-Time Work
part |10 pages
Technology
chapter |8 pages
Technology and Part-Time Lawyering
part |6 pages
Conclusion