Opting out (without kids): : understanding non-mothers' workplace exit in popular autobiographies

• Autores: Elizabeth D. Wilhoit
• Localización: Gender Work & Organization, ISSN-e 1468-0432, Vol. 21, Nº. 3, 2014, págs. 260-272
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • Since the term appeared in 2003, popular media and academics have been interested in the phenomenon of �opting out� � elite women choosing to leave their jobs to stay at home with their children. Although it is unclear whether the opt-out revolution actually exists, this conversation has resulted in a wealth of scholarship on women leaving successful jobs to care for their children, particularly how maternity might be a graceful time to exit gendered organizations. However, there is not scholarship considering women without children who opt out of the dominant career model. In this study, I look at three popular autobiographies of women who left successful careers to pursue alternative work (farming, baking). I found that the women sought meaning in their work, control over their labour process, and a new definition of success. These narratives provide broader insight into the constraints of the dominant career model and gendered organizations as well as the particular difficulties for non-mothers to opt out.