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Crushed between two stones: Competing institutional logics in the implementation of maternity leave policies in Pakistan

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  • Ayesha Masood
  • Muhammad Azfar Nisar

Abstract

Maternity leave forms the mainstay of work–life policies aimed towards creating an inclusive and diverse workplace. While extensive research has examined the impact of maternity leave on women's participation, progress and retention in the labour force, the institutional micro‐social foundations of implementation and interpretation of these policies remain underexplored. Based on an ethnographic study of Pakistani women doctors, this study explores the intersection of different logics prevailing in various institutions — family, state and profession — involved in implementing maternity policies. Our findings illustrate that cultural configurations of motherhood, norms of the medical profession and the administrative burden of applying for leave, shaped by the trans‐institutional logic of patriarchy, limit the effectiveness and utilization of maternity policies. Our research, therefore, supports context‐specific reconceptualization and redesign of maternity leave policies. Based on our findings, we offer suggestions to account for heterogeneity of women workers based on their employment status (regular/contractual) and employing organizations (public/private) in the design of maternity leave policies to improve their implementation.

Suggested Citation

  • Ayesha Masood & Muhammad Azfar Nisar, 2020. "Crushed between two stones: Competing institutional logics in the implementation of maternity leave policies in Pakistan," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 27(6), pages 1103-1126, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:gender:v:27:y:2020:i:6:p:1103-1126
    DOI: 10.1111/gwao.12448
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Ayesha Masood, 2019. "Doing gender, modestly: Conceptualizing workplace experiences of Pakistani women doctors," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 26(2), pages 214-228, March.
    2. Gordon B. Dahl & Katrine V. Løken & Magne Mogstad & Kari Vea Salvanes, 2016. "What Is the Case for Paid Maternity Leave?," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 98(4), pages 655-670, October.
    3. Robyn Lee, 2018. "Breastfeeding Bodies: Intimacies at Work," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 25(1), pages 77-90, January.
    4. Stumbitz, Bianca. & Kyei, Abigail. & Lewis, Suzan. & Lyon, Fergus., 2017. "Maternity protection and workers with family responsibilities in the formal and informal economy of Ghana practices, gaps and measures for improvement," ILO Working Papers 994970793302676, International Labour Organization.
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    6. Faiza Ali & Jawad Syed, 2017. "From Rhetoric to Reality: a Multilevel Analysis of Gender Equality in Pakistani Organizations," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 24(5), pages 472-486, September.
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    10. Stumbitz, Bianca & Lewis, Suzan & Kyei, Abigail A. & Lyon, Fergus, 2018. "Maternity protection in formal and informal economy workplaces: The case of Ghana," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 110(C), pages 373-384.
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