Opt-out stories: women’s decisions to leave corporate leadership
ISSN: 1754-2413
Article publication date: 18 June 2020
Issue publication date: 3 March 2021
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore how the challenges to women’s authentic leadership identities contribute to their decisions to abandon leadership positions mid-career. It examines the critical career moments and underlying themes behind these women’s decisions to leave.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper is based on semi-structured interviews (n = 9) with women between the ages of 32-53 who had opted-out of mid-level corporate leadership positions.
Findings
The study found that work–life balance was not the primary factor in women’s decisions to leave. Instead, the women in the study reflected on their inability to be themselves and contribute perceived value to the organization as triggering their decisions to leave.
Research limitations/implications
There are limitations in using a small sample of women selected through the researchers’ social media networks resulting in limited cultural and racial diversity.
Practical implications
Misconceptions about women’s decisions to leave corporate leadership mid-career misleads human resource (HR) practices and initiatives focused on retaining female talent. Organizations need to recognize and reshape the organizational environment to support women to be their authentic self and make the value of their contributions more transparent.
Originality/value
The paper is original in that it examines opt-out from the lens of women’s leadership identities in corporate contexts. There are limited studies that have examined the connections between identity and women’s career decisions beyond work–ife balance. It provides practical value to HR practitioners and organizations focused on retaining female talent.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This article is based upon a conference paper entitled opt-out stories: a narrative analysis of women’s decisions to leave corporate leadership hosted by the Academy of Management in August 2019.
Citation
Frkal, R.A. and Criscione-Naylor, N. (2021), "Opt-out stories: women’s decisions to leave corporate leadership", Gender in Management, Vol. 36 No. 1, pp. 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1108/GM-09-2019-0154
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2020, Emerald Publishing Limited