“A pit to put women in”: professionalism, work intensification, sexualisation and work–life balance in the legal profession in England and Wales

Sommerlad, Hilary

doi:10.1080/09695958.2016.1140945

Cited by 56 publications

(63 citation statements)

References 41 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…By the turn of the 21st century, the field had become more multidisciplinary: a “sprawling domain of study involving researchers from several disciplines and different theoretical perspectives” (Perry‐Jenkins, Repetti, & Crouter, , p. 981). More recently, there has been increasing interest in the influence of changes to how work is done and the consequences of, for example, work intensification and the heightened significance of client focus in professions such as law, education, the finance, and consulting sectors (Campbell & van Wanrooy, ; Sommerlad, ). Likewise, there has been growing interest in how information communication technologies blur the boundaries between work and life and negatively impact on work‐life balance (Besseyre Des Horts, Dery, & MacCormick, ; ILO, ).…”

Section: Overview Of Extant Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

All of work? All of life? Reconceptualising work‐life balance for the 21st century

Kelliher

Richardson

Boiarintseva

2018

Human Res Mgmt Journal

203

194

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This paper argues that the study of work‐life balance to date has, in the main, adopted a restricted conception of both “work” and “life”, which does not take account of recent developments in life worlds, working arrangements and employment relationships. “Life” has hitherto been viewed as largely comprising caring activities for dependent children, whereas “work” has been premised largely on a traditional model of work, characterised by full‐time, permanent employment with one employer and a conventional understanding of what work involves. This means that extant research and theory only provides a partial view of the work‐life needs and experiences of the workforce. In the paper, we propose extending conceptions of both work and life to incorporate different life worlds and social groups and different working arrangements and employment relationships.

show abstract

Section: Overview Of Extant Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

All of work? All of life? Reconceptualising work‐life balance for the 21st century

Kelliher

Richardson

Boiarintseva

2018

Human Res Mgmt Journal

203

194

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Those norms most frequently identified in the literature include inflexible work hours, expectations of long hours, high workloads, organizational models of billing, care and family responsibilities, poor work/life balance, cultures of presenteeism and gendered constructions of meritocracy (e.g. Baron, 2015;Cunningham, 2001;Kumra, 2015;Sommerlad, 2016;Thornton and Bagust, 2007;Wallace, 2006). Technological changes have translated to increased expectations of almost constant availability for clients (Cunningham, 2001;Thornton and Bagust, 2007;Webley and Duff, 2007).…”

Section: Women's Careers In Lawmentioning

confidence: 99%

Women's Career Progression in Law Firms: Views from the Top, Views From Below

Pringle¹,

Harris²,

Ravenswood³

et al. 2017

Gender, Work & Organization

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Law continues to be an attractive career path for women. Yet evidence shows that women's careers in law stagnate with proportionally small numbers of women progressing up the hierarchy from law graduate to partner. In this study we investigated how gendering and class processes impact on women's career progression. A major contribution is that we explored the heterogeneous views held by women below and above the partnership line, in Auckland's top law firms. Drawing on Acker's gendering processes (1990, 2006a) plus the accumulation of appropriate capitals needed to progress, we analysed 52 interview accounts. The women lawyers themselves were divided on how gendering and class processes impact on their career progression. Women partners accepted the hierarchical employment model of law and were confident in their role and place. Women below the partner line, while frustrated by the personal and professional requirements for success, did not demonstrate agency for change. In concluding, we reflect on the potential for change in the profession.

show abstract

“…Aspiring professionals from working-class backgrounds sometimes struggle to ac-quire the capital needed to succeed (Waterfield, Beagan & Mohamed, in press). Social class also matters for entry to the elite law schools (Sommerlad, 2016) and to the prestigious first jobs (Kay, 2019). Young professionals who lack the privileged social, cultural and economic background may feel like 'strangers' in their professions (see eg.…”

Section: ) Challenges For Young Professionals Entering and Building mentioning

confidence: 99%

Vol 9 No 2 (2019)

No¹

2019

P&P

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This paper outlines a neo-Weberian approach to state-sponsored social closure in professional formation. Despite its advantages, state decision-making is not typically well-defined or examined in neo-Weberian analyses. Neo-Weberianism is differentiated from Max Weber's own work on social action and rationality, which generally provides a more subtle interpretation of state socio-political processes. The paper explores how policy formation can be more incisively analyzed inside the black box of state decision-making from a Weberian perspective. This is exemplified by the passage of the 1858 Medical Act in the United Kingdom establishing the statesupported medical profession. While further work is necessary in filling in the black box, this paper charts an important future path for neo-Weberian analyses of professions, and their relationship with the state.

show abstract

“A pit to put women in”: professionalism, work intensification, sexualisation and work–life balance in the legal profession in England and Wales

Cited by 56 publications

References 41 publications

All of work? All of life? Reconceptualising work‐life balance for the 21st century

All of work? All of life? Reconceptualising work‐life balance for the 21st century

Women's Career Progression in Law Firms: Views from the Top, Views From Below

Vol 9 No 2 (2019)

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About