“Commit professional suicide or take up my pilgrim’s staff again?”: A cultural examination of how female managers resolve shock events in developing regions

Abstract

How do key cultural aspects of individualism/collectivism and gender egalitarianism shape the decision making of female managers from developing regions when handling major work–family conflicts (WFC)? We address this question by drawing on a qualitative study of 50 female managers from developing countries in Asia, Latin America, and sub-Saharan Africa who work in one particular male-dominated industry. We examine the major WFC incidents experienced by our study participants through the theoretical lens of work–life shock events outlined by Crawford et al. We contribute to the episodic approach to WFC research by shedding light on important aspects of the sociocultural role of extended families and the collectivistic values prevalent in developing regions, as well as on pervasive (low) gender egalitarian norms. The accounts of our female managers reveal how major events are perceived and how women use multifaceted methods to handle them, allowing us to propose a decision-making framework and associated cues with three broad types of decision making: (1) self-directed—choosing work; (2) consultative—choosing work; and (3) consultative—choosing family. Alongside this, we offer revealing insights into how the abovementioned cultural aspects help to shape the logic of consequences (through which people assess the impact of alternative actions) and the logic of appropriateness (through which people act according to their identity), thereby influencing WFC decision making during major episodes of conflict.