Can we stop calling them nontraditional careers?

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to explore the factors that influence Saudi Arabian women to persist in nontraditional work careers, which are primarily in gender-integrated work environments and male-dominated industries.Design/methodology/approachQualitative research was conducted based on semistructured interviews with 30 Saudi women – 18 of whom were working in nontraditional careers and 12 of whom had worked in nontraditional careers but subsequently left to pursue more traditional, female-associated career opportunities. Interview data were recorded, transcribed and analyzed using grounded theory methods.FindingsDistinct similarities and differences between the two subsamples emerged from the data. Similarities between the two groups included men's underestimation of women's performance, lack of access to workplace sites and resources, male colleagues' cultural fears of violating gender norms and social rejection of women in the workplace. Women who persisted in nontraditional work careers articulated a high level of self-efficacy, an optimistic future vision, positive relationships with male colleagues and family support, which enabled them to persevere despite numerous difficulties associated with working in a male-dominated environment. A conceptual model is developed that integrates the findings explaining Saudi women's persistence in nontraditional work careers.Research limitations/implicationsSelf-reported data and a small sample size are the main limitations of this study.Practical implicationsMale managers of women in nontraditional work settings are encouraged to engage positively with women professionals in their teams and to provide opportunities for growth and development for all members of the workforce. Saudi public policy decision-makers, families, educators and organizations interested in retaining and increasing female workforce participation should take into account the factors influencing Saudi women's persistence in nontraditional work careers.Originality/valueAlthough some studies in Western contexts have addressed the factors that influence the persistence of women in nontraditional careers, less work has been done in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) sociocultural context. Specifically, in the present study, the authors investigate the factors that influence women's persistence in nontraditional careers in Saudi Arabia's high gender-role-oriented culture.

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Kaleidoscope Careers and Evolving HRM Issues

Encyclopedia of Human Resources Information Systems ◽

10.4018/978-1-59904-883-3.ch085 ◽

2009 ◽

pp. 584-591

Author(s):

Sherry E. Sullivan ◽

Lisa A. Mainiero ◽

Siri Terjesen

Keyword(s):

Personal Values ◽

Corporate Values ◽

Men And Women ◽

Nontraditional Careers ◽

Linear Sequence ◽

Technological Advances ◽

Opt Out ◽

Career Model ◽

Work Family ◽

Lifestyle Activities

The quotations from Isobel and Jackie illustrate the very real problems that individuals encounter when trying to combine work, family, and lifestyle activities. In the course of our research, we interviewed thousands of men and women, who like Isobel and Jackie, were enacting nontraditional careers; careers based on their personal values, relationships, and life priorities rather than careers dominated by corporate values. Like many others, both Isobel and Jackie later left their corporate jobs to start their own companies. This growing phenomenon of individuals, especially women, leaving established, “plum” corporate jobs was highlighted in recent media stories regarding the “opt-out revolution” which emphasized women’s desire to focus on family rather than career. Similarly, there was a shift in the academic literature away from models that focused on describing careers as a linear sequence of hierarchical promotions in one or two organizations to concepts that reflect nonlinear career structures and view careers as having “multidirectional” patterns (Baruch, 2004). This new, nontraditional, flexible career model has been described as “boundaryless,” “protean,” “post-corporate,” “intelligent,” and “customized” (Arthur & Rousseau, 1996; Arthur Inkson & Pringle, 1999; Hall, 1996; Peiperl & Baruch, 1997; Valcour, Bailyn, & Quijada, 2005). Many of these newer models, however, fail to fully recognize workplaces changes due to increased globalization and technological advances and fail to fully capture the differences in how men and women enact their careers (Powell & Mainiero, 1992, 1993).

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Engaging Undergraduates in Informal Learning Experiences

The Paleontological Society Special Publications ◽

10.1017/s2475262200009357 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

pp. 247-256

Author(s):

Bruce J. MacFadden

Keyword(s):

Undergraduate Students ◽

Academic Career ◽

Learning Experiences ◽

Informal Science Education ◽

Field Trips ◽

Early Career ◽

State Parks ◽

Web Based ◽

Nontraditional Careers ◽

Classroom Laboratory

Undergraduate paleontology education typically consists of formal coursework involving the classroom, laboratory, and field trips. Other opportunities exist within informal science education (ISE) that can provide students with experiences to broaden their undergraduate education. ISE includes out-of-school, “free-choice,” and/or lifelong learning experiences in a variety of settings and media, including museums, science and nature centers, national and state parks, science cafes, as well as an evergrowing variety of web-based activities. This article discusses ISE as it pertains to university paleontology education and presents examples. Students can participate in the development and evaluation of exhibits as well as assist in the implementation of museum-related educational programs with paleontological content. They also can work or intern as explainers either “on the floor” of museums, or as interpreters at science-related parks. ISE-related activities can also provide opportunities to engage in citizen science and other outreach initiatives, e.g., with undergraduates assisting in fossil digs with public (volunteer) participation and giving talks to fossil clubs. During these activities, students have the opportunity to communicate about controversial topics such as evolution, which is neither well understood nor universally accepted by the general public. Engagement in these kinds of activities provides students with a combination of specialized STEM content (paleontology, geology) and ISE practice that may better position them to pursue nontraditional careers outside of the academic arena. Likewise, for students intending to pursue an academic career, ISE activities make undergraduate students better equipped to conduct Broader Impact activities as early career professionals.

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