Managerial and professional women in “extreme jobs”: Benefits and costs

Abstract

Purpose

Interest in the potential negative effects of long work hours has increased over the past ten years. The purpose of this paper is to compare personal demographics and work situation characteristics, stable individual difference factors, job behaviors, work and extra‐work satisfactions and psychological well‐being of female MBA graduates in managerial and professional jobs working 56 h a week or more with those working 55 h a week or less.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected from 247 female MBA graduates of a single Canadian business school, using anonymously completed questionnaires, with about a 35 percent response rate.

Findings

Females working more hours reported both benefits and costs. The benefits included higher levels of job satisfaction, future career prospects and salary; the costs included higher levels of job stress and psychosomatic symptoms and lower levels of family satisfaction and emotional health.

Research limitations/implications

All data were self‐reports and the sample of women managers and professionals working 56 or more hours a week was relatively small. The research needs to be replicated in other countries as well.

Practical implications

Organizations need to consider the potential costs to both employees and themselves from long working hours.

Originality/value

This paper is one of few studies of the effects of long work hours on the experiences of managerial and professional women.

Citation

Burke, R.J. and Fiksenbaum, L. (2009), "Managerial and professional women in “extreme jobs”: Benefits and costs", Equal Opportunities International, Vol. 28 No. 5, pp. 432-442. https://doi.org/10.1108/02610150910964277