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Narratives of Spousal Support for the Careers of Men in Managerial Posts

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  • Suvi Heikkinen
  • Anna‐Maija Lämsä

Abstract

This article analyses the narratives of men managers to see how they perceive their wives' support in relation to their careers. Our aim is to focus on different forms of spousal support and explore how the support can evolve in the course of the men's careers. We are also interested in what kind of gender relations men produce when narrating their experiences of spousal support for their career. The research material comprises interviews with 29 managers who are fathers. In contrast to many previous studies, the results here suggest that spousal support is not a fixed or uncomplicated phenomenon but is constructed as various and flexible by men: negotiated, enriching and declining. The narrative analysis, in which we detected three different story‐lines — romance, ‘happily‐ever‐after’ and tragedy — shows that the most positive narratives in terms of life satisfaction and career success were those in which spousal support was constructed as negotiated and men were willing to be flexible and adaptable in their gender relations with their spouse. More attention to a father's work and family integration is needed in the field of management and organizations.

Suggested Citation

  • Suvi Heikkinen & Anna‐Maija Lämsä, 2017. "Narratives of Spousal Support for the Careers of Men in Managerial Posts," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 24(2), pages 171-193, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:gender:v:24:y:2017:i:2:p:171-193
    DOI: 10.1111/gwao.12157
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Jackie Ford & David Collinson, 2011. "In search of the perfect manager? Work-life balance and managerial work," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 25(2), pages 257-273, June.
    2. Grossbard-Shechtman, Shoshana A. & Izraeli, Dafna N. & Neuman, Shoshana, 1994. "When do spouses support a career? A human capital analysis of Israeli managers and their spouses," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 23(1-2), pages 149-167.
    3. Gina Gaio Santos, 2015. "Narratives about Work and Family Life among Portuguese Academics," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 22(1), pages 1-15, January.
    4. Gherardi, Silvia & Poggio, Barbara, 2001. "Creating and recreating gender order in organizations," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 36(3), pages 245-259, October.
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    Cited by:

    1. Shah, Dhara & de Oliveira, Rui Torres & Barker, Michelle & Moeller, Miriam & Nguyen, Tam, 2022. "Expatriate family adjustment: How organisational support on international assignments matters," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 28(2).
    2. Suvi Heikkinen & Anna-Maija Lämsä & Charlotta Niemistö, 2021. "Work–Family Practices and Complexity of Their Usage: A Discourse Analysis Towards Socially Responsible Human Resource Management," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 171(4), pages 815-831, July.
    3. Julia Gruson‐Wood & Carla Rice & Jess Haines & Gwen E. Chapman, 2022. "The emotional toll of postfeminist fatherhood," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(1), pages 256-272, January.

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