WORKER ENTRENCHMENT DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

EVIDENCE FROM WORKING MOTHERS IN THE UNITED STATES

Gender, Work & Organization
Published July 6, 2022
Dr. Mona Zanhour, Management
Link to Article doi.org: THE ENTRENCHMENT OF THE IDEAL WORKERNORM DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC: EVIDENCE FROM WORKING MOTHERS IN THE UNITED STATES

We study shifts in the ideal worker culture asexperienced by working mothers acrossorganizations in the United States during theCOVID-19 pandemic. Experiences of 53interviewees who attended to increasedresponsibilities across both work and familydomains revealed an entrenchment of the idealworker culture across nearly all organizationsand professions. This manifested in three levels:as (1) a reinforced ideal worker culture in theworkplace through work intensification,increased competitiveness, and surface-levelsupport; (2) the reinforcing of organizations'ideal worker norms at home, with gendereddivision of space and labor; and (3) experiencedinternalized ideal worker norms in theexpectations working mothers maintained forthemselves. These findings offer insight into thelives of working mothers during the COVID-19pandemic and the challenges which have pushedmany mothers to reduce work hours or leave the workforce. Highlighting the intricate nature ofthe entrenchment of the ideal worker cultureinforms implications for theory of genderedorganizations and for organizational practice