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‘You Just Had to Get on with It’: Exploring the Persistence of Gender Inequality through Women’s Career Histories

Author

Listed:
  • Jackie Ford

    (Durham University, UK)

  • Carol Atkinson

    (Manchester Metropolitan University, UK)

  • Nancy Harding

    (University of Bath, UK)

  • David Collinson

    (Lancaster University Management School, UK)

Abstract

This article examines the career histories of the first generation of UK women to enter professional employment in the 1970s and 1980s in comparatively large numbers. In so doing, it contributes to the sparse literature on older women’s working life histories. Presenting empirical research on women’s experiences in the legal and HR sectors, it reveals how women pioneers were often silenced by requirements to conform with male-dominated norms, values and practices governing masculine career pathways. They learned to speak a predominantly masculine language that in turn constituted a significant barrier to effective resistance and disallowed new ways of speaking about careers. The article argues that these earlier conditions of entry into careers continue to influence the barriers women face at work today. Through this analysis of older women’s working lives, the article also contributes to contemporary debates about intersectionality by illustrating how gender and age interact in ways that reinforce earlier patterns of career disadvantage.

Suggested Citation

  • Jackie Ford & Carol Atkinson & Nancy Harding & David Collinson, 2021. "‘You Just Had to Get on with It’: Exploring the Persistence of Gender Inequality through Women’s Career Histories," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 35(1), pages 78-96, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:woemps:v:35:y:2021:i:1:p:78-96
    DOI: 10.1177/0950017020910354
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Jenny Rodriguez & Evangelina Holvino & Joyce K. Fletcher & Stella M. Nkomo & Mayra Ruiz Castro & Evangelina Holvino, 2016. "Applying Intersectionality in Organizations: Inequality Markers, Cultural Scripts and Advancement Practices in a Professional Service Firm," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 23(3), pages 328-347, May.
    2. Judith K. Pringle & Candice Harris & Katherine Ravenswood & Lynne Giddings & Irene Ryan & Sabina Jaeger, 2017. "Women's Career Progression in Law Firms: Views from the Top, Views From Below," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 24(4), pages 435-449, July.
    3. Shaista E. Khilji & Kelly Harper Pumroy, 2019. "We are strong and we are resilient: Career experiences of women engineers," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 26(7), pages 1032-1052, July.
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    Cited by:

    1. Daniela P Fernández & Michelle K Ryan & Christopher T Begeny, 2023. "Gender expectations, socioeconomic inequalities and definitions of career success: A qualitative study with university students," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 18(2), pages 1-27, February.
    2. Beitelspacher, Lauren & Fischer, Katrin, 2025. "Gender equity at all ages and stages: Examining stereotypes of perimenopausal and menopausal women in the workplace," Business Horizons, Elsevier, vol. 68(3), pages 341-349.

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