The expectations and aspirations of a late-career professional woman. (December 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Atkinson, Carol; Ford, Jackie; Harding, Nancy; Jones, Flora
• Is Part Of: Work, employment & society. Volume 29:Number 6(2015:Dec.)
• Page Start: 1019
• Page End: 1028
• Publication Date: 2015-12
• Subjects: ageism -- fragmented careers -- health and body -- late-career women -- sexism; Industrial sociology -- Periodicals; Work -- Social aspects -- Periodicals; Industrial relations -- Periodicals; 306.36
• DOI: 10.1177/0950017015581987
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0950-0170

Abstract

This article presents a powerful account of one late-career woman's lived experiences. Little is known about women who continue professional careers into their 50s and beyond. Here insights are offered into her aspirations and expectations, as she reflects upon a career fragmented by gendered caring responsibilities and the implications of ageism and sexism together with health and body for her late-career phase. The narrative enhances understanding of the intersection of age and gender in a context where masculine career norms dominate. It also offers a reflection upon the implications of these themes for late-career women and their employing organizations more generally.