Gendered barriers to sustainable careers : a gendered organizations perspective on career sustainability

This thesis aims to further extend the research on the concept of career sustainability by examining it with a gendered lens influenced by Joan Acker’s ‘Gendered Organizations’ framework (1990). By using this approach, the recently conceptualized theoretical framework of sustainable careers (De Vos et al., 2020; Valcour, 2015) is extended to include a perspective that considers the structural inequalities women face, both within and outside of work. Through semi-structured interviews with couples from diverse occupations and care configurations, unique insights into their interpretations of career sustainability, as well as the challenges, expectations, and stereotypes they faced throughout their individual careers, were captured. Most significantly present throughout the data are the effects of motherhood on careers, as well as remaining stereotypes about leadership competencies, which in some cases even led to organizational conflicts that necessitated resolution. In addition, various individual mechanisms of coping and support are discussed, implying how career sustainability can be supported for all genders. In closing, implications for future research are offered.