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Gender Equality and Work–Life Balance Pressure to achieve work–life “balance” has recently become a signifi cant part of the cultural fabric of working life in United States. A very few privi- leged employees tout their ability to fi nd balance between their careers and the rest of their lives, but most employees face considerable organizational and economic constraints that hamper their ability to maintain a reason- able “balance” between paid work and other life aspects—and it is not only women who struggle. Increasingly, men also fi nd it diffi cult to “do it all.” Women have long noted the near impossibility of balancing multiple roles, but it is only recently that men have been encouraged to see themselves beyond their breadwinner selves. Gender Equality and Work–Life Balance describes the work–life practices of men in the United States. The purpose is to increase gender equality at work for all employees. With a focus on leave policy inequalities, this book argues that men experience a phenomenon called the “glass handcuffs,” which prevents them from leaving work to participate fully in their families, homes, and other life events. It highlights the cultural, institutional, organizational, and occupational conditions which make gender equality in work–life policy usage diffi cult. This social justice book ultimately draws conclusions about how to minimize inequalities at work. Gender Equality and Work–Life Balance is unique as it laces together some theoretical concepts that have little previous association, including entrepreneurialism, leave policy, occupational identity, and the economic necessities of families. This book will therefore be of particular interest to researchers and academics alike in the disciplines of Communication, Gen- der Studies, Human Resource Management, Employment Relations, Sociol- ogy, and Cultural Studies. Sarah Jane Blithe is Assistant Professor of Communication Studies at the University of Nevada, Reno, USA. Routledge Research in Employment Relations Series editors: Rick Delbridge and Edmund Heery Cardiff Business School, UK Aspects of the employment relationship are central to numerous courses at both undergraduate and postgraduate level. Drawing from insights from industrial relations, human resource management and industrial sociology, this series provides an alternative source of research-based materials and texts, reviewing key developments in employment research. Books published in this series are works of high academic merit, drawn from a wide range of academic studies in the social sciences. For a full list of titles in this series, please visit www.routledge.com 9 Partnership and 14 A Comparison of the Trade Modernisation in Union Merger Process Employment Relations in Britain and Germany Edited by Mark Stuart and Joining forces? Miguel Martinez Lucio Jeremy Waddington, Marcus Kahmann and Jürgen Hoffmann 10 Partnership at Work The quest for radical 15 French Industrial Relations organizational change in the New World Economy William K. Roche and Nick Parsons John F. Geary 16 Union Recognition 11 European Works Councils Organising and bargaining Pessimism of the intellect outcomes optimism of the will? Edited by Gregor Gall Edited by Ian Fitzgerald and John Stirling 17 Towards a European Labour Identity 12 Employment Relations in The case of the European Non-Union Firms Work Council Tony Dundon and Edited by Michael Whittall, Derek Rollinson Herman Knudsen and Fred Huijgen 13 Management, Labour Process and Software 18 Power at Work Development How employees reproduce Reality bytes the corporate machine Edited by Rowena Barrett Darren McCabe 19 Management in the 28 Gendering and Diversifying Airline Industry Trade Union Leadership Geraint Harvey Edited by Sue Ledwith and Lise Lotte Hansen 20 Trade Unions in a Neoliberal World 29 Gender and Leadership British trade unions under New in Trade Unions Labour Gill Kirton and Geraldine Healy Gary Daniels and John McIlroy 30 Minimum Wages, Pay 21 Diversity Management in the UK Equity, and Comparative Organizational and stakeholder Industrial Relations experiences Edited by Damian Grimshaw Anne-marie Greene and Gill Kirton 31 The Transformation of 22 Ethical Socialism and the Employment Relations Trade Unions in Europe Allan Flanders and British Institutions and outcomes in industrial relation reform the age of globalization John Kelly Edited by James Arrowsmith and Valeria Pulignano 23 European Works Councils A transnational industrial relations 32 Financial Services institution in the making Partnerships Jeremy Waddington Labor-management dynamics 24 The Politics of Industrial Peter J. Samuel Relations Labor unions in Spain 33 Voice and Involvement at Work Kerstin Hamann Experience with non-union representation 25 Social Failures of EU Edited by Paul J. Gollan, Enlargement Bruce E. Kaufman, Daphne Taras A case of workers voting and Adrian Wilkinson with their feet Guglielmo Meardi 34 Corporate Social Responsibility and 26 Trade Unions and Trade Unions Workplace Training Perspectives from Europe Issues and International Edited by Lutz Preuss, Perspectives Michael Gold and Chris Rees Edited by Richard Cooney and Mark Stuart 35 Gender Equality and Work–Life Balance 27 Men, Wage Work and Family Glass Handcuffs and Working Edited by Paula McDonald Men in the U.S. and Emma Jeanes Sarah Jane Blithe Gender Equality and Work–Life Balance Glass Handcuffs and Working Men in the U.S. Sarah Jane Blithe First published 2015 by Routledge 711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017 and by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business © 2015 Taylor & Francis The right of Sarah Jane Blithe to be identifi ed as author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. The Open Access version of this book, available at www.taylorfrancis. com, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license. Trademark Notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identifi cation and explanation without intent to infringe. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Blithe, Sarah. Gender equality and work-life balance : glass handcuffs and working men in the U.S. / by Sarah Blithe. pages cm. — (Routledge research in employment relations ; 35) Includes bibliographical references and index. 1. Work and family—United States. 2. Work-life balance— United States. 3. Parental leave—United States. 4. Fatherhood— United States. 5. Discrimination in employment—United States. I. Title. HD4904.25.B58 2015 306.3'60973—dc23 2015004562 ISBN: 978-1-138-85677-6 (hbk) ISBN: 978-1-315-71919-1 (ebk) Typeset in Sabon by Apex CoVantage, LLC For Kevin, the love of my life, who is my partner in all things, and our children, Brooklynn and Braxton, who fi ll my life with joy, laughter, and love. Contents Acknowledgments xi 1 Outlining the Glass Handcuffs Phenomenon 1 PART I Contexts for the Glass Handcuffs Phenomenon 2 Organizational Contexts for the Glass Handcuffs Phenomenon 23 3 Situating Leave of Absence Policies 37 4 Perceptions and Meanings of Work–Life Balance and Leaves of Absence for Men 54 PART II Causes for the Glass Handcuffs 5 Macro Discourses of Dedication, Passion, and Commitment 75 6 “But I Was a Programmer before I Was a Dad”: Occupational Uniqueness and Occupational Identity 103 7 “It Is My Responsibility to Find the Right Balance”: Entrepreneurialism as a Constraint 125 8 “It’s Kind of . a Man Thing”: Gender, Economics, and the Impossibility of Leave 140 9 “Who Needs Time Off?” Reframing Leaves of Absence as Unnecessary 160 x Contents PART III Finding the Key: Why Understanding the Glass Handcuffs Matters 10 Conclusions and Implications of the Glass Handcuffs 175 Appendix A: Feminist Standpoint Theory and Researcher Positionality 191 Appendix B: Data Collection and Analysis 197 Index 215 Acknowledgments Thank you to Niko, Kiya, and Kodiak, the very best furry writing buddies. Thank you to my parents, Michael and Jane Coleman, for always supporting and encouraging my education—I love you and appreciate you. With gratitude and love for all my family in Colorado, Arizona, and California, particularly my brothers, Mikey and Adam; my nieces; my god- daughters; and family-in-law, especially my sisters-in-law, Stephanie and Kelly, and my parents-in-law, Richard and Dianne Blithe, who consistently amaze me with their love, wisdom, and support. This work would not have been possible without the incredible guidance from my graduate school advisor, Tim Kuhn. I am indebted and grateful for my mentor, Karen Ashcraft, for her remark- ably generous and always fun guidance in teaching, research, and life. I am extremely grateful for the guidance of Catherine Ashcraft, who invited me into exciting research projects that assisted in the development of my research skills and led to the topic of this book. My deepest thanks to the team at Routledge for supporting the development of this book and to Robert Swanson for the excellent indexing services. I am so very thankful for the men who agreed to give their time to participate in the interviews for this study. Their words, ideas, successes, and struggles were quite inspiring to me, and I hope I have represented their feelings and experiences well. I am also grateful to the colleagues, teachers, and researchers who read and assisted with various drafts of this project, provided incredible guidance in my writing, offered invaluable perspectives about research, and/or provided general encouragement and support for my research, including Janell Bauer, Jenny Beer, Stephanie Bor, Stephanie Brooks, Stephanie Coleman, Bob Craig, Stan Deetz, Elizabeth Eger, Lisa Flores, Susana Martinez Guillem, Jenna Hanchey, Katie Harris, Gwen Hullman, James Fortney, Michele Jackson, Matt Koschmann, Jennifer Lanterman, Katie Keeran, Jennifer Malkowski, Virginia McCarver, Jamie McDonald, Megan Morrissey, Kristina Ruiz- Mesa, Amy Pason, Jessica Robles, Christy-Dale Sims, Mary Stewart, Karen Tracy, Dani Watkins, and Amy Way.

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