together over time, but we need to encourage women to actively plan all aspects of their lives. “My research is focusing more on the challenges that


women encounter, because at the moment we don’t always talk about the different aspects of a woman’s life and how the personal and the professional intersect,” she says. “We encourage young people to focus on their careers, we also could show them that, it really helps to have a supportive partner by your side. “Building your career and deciding when to start a


family are things that don't fall into place necessarily on their own. You need time to find a partner to share your life with. It is a gendered discussion. Historically, we focussed too much on the idea that women should drop out of work to focus motherhood following marriage, but now we are doing it very much the other way around, and that can mean women are short-changed and end up starting a family much later than they might have hoped.” Patrizia has a particular interest in the accounting


profession, comparatively and historically, and women’s careers in Professional Service Firms (PSFs). Her past research focused on the careers of women who made partnership in PSFs in Germany and the United Kingdom and to examine the challenges women experiences on the way to partnership from a feminist perspective. “In Germany, mothers are pushed to stay at home. In


the UK mothers are pushed to focus on work in the way that fathers traditionally have done. In both countries, children's needs are invisible,” she says. Her book, Gendered Hierarchies of Dependency, examines women’s paths to become partners in accounting firms in the two countries, and finds there are different, but significant barriers to women’s progress in both countries. She is currently editing a new book on gender norms and families with researchers from York and Lincoln which will be published next year.


THE EVOLUTION OF DUAL-CAREER MOBILITY Over the past


two decades, global corporations and


policymakers have become increasingly aware of the complexities surrounding dual-career mobility. Patrizia notes that despite the growth of an internationally mobile workforce, significant challenges remain, particularly regarding visa restrictions that disadvantage accompanying spouses. She is aware of the costs of moving and how it might affect other members of the family. “With highly skilled migrants, a key issue remains that


visa restrictions often means that the spouse or partner who accompanies the assignee ends up becoming de-skilled in the new country,” she says. That is because it places them in a position of dependency vis-à-vis their partner, which can affect dynamics in the household. It limits women’s opportunities because they are less likely than men to accept a position that negatively impacts their partner’s career and their family. Policymakers are missing opportunities here as well to fully integrate dual-career couples.”


MAKING INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE EQUITABLE FOR WOMEN International career opportunities remain a challenge for women, largely due to the realities of dual-career households. Patrizia emphasizes that organisations must ensure that international assignments benefit not just the primary employee but also their family.


career


“Women are more likely than men to be in dual- couples, and they are more likely to forgo


opportunities if they do not believe them to be such for all members of their household,” she says. “If employers want to encourage more women to take international opportunities, employers need to make a move abroad equally beneficial for children and spouses. My tips for young women are: apply for everything, have a go, but also commit time to building a private life and recognise that there are opportunity costs to whatever you do.”


THE CHALLENGE OF ACHIEVING PARTNERSHIP IN PROFESSIONAL SERVICES Patrizia’s research into professional service firms (PSFs) highlights the persistent structural barriers that women face when striving for partnership. She notes that these challenges vary across different economic systems, with some offering more transparent career progression at the expense of job security. “There are international differences in how careers


and hierarchies are organised,” she says. “Women do well in liberal market economies such as the UK, where structures are more transparent. There is a cost to this, which is a relative lack of job security. In terms of financial roles, I would encourage young women to seek out employment in large Big Four firms. While the hours might be long, but there are structures in place that can be leveraged when you feel you need additional leave, need to work part-time for a while, and these organisations generally offer generous extended maternity leave.” Motherhood continues


to intersect with career


progression in complex ways, and Patrizia believes that many employers and colleagues hold outdated assumptions. "We often talk about motherhood as if it was very


much a thing in decline. Yes, the fertility rate has declined, but four in five of us still have children in our lifetime. In fact, only 16% of women born in 1977 did not proceed to have children by the time they were 46. Pregnancy and maternity are big transitions in a woman’s life. “Most of us will be working a good forty years now, but


too many employers turn pregnancy and maternity into an anxiety-riddled time for women. Ambition across one’s life cycle goes up and down. There is nothing wrong with that.” As part of her research, Patrizia has explored the


intersection of fertility and employment. She remains sceptical about fertility treatments such as IVF and egg freezing, arguing that they create a false sense for women that fertility can be planned in this manner. She says that greater flexibility in careers and working


practices would help men and women, and that men’s careers are often less linear and structured than they might first appear. Burnout, stress and a need for new challenges are potential factors in everyone’s working life. “I think we need to arm young people with the


knowledge and skills to create their own plan, think clearly about their career path and build their own support system. You will not necessarily find your most effective support system at work – it is more likely to be your family and friends. You can have friends at work that you will be able to connect with over the years, and I think that's particularly important in the early years of your career. But it will be your family, a spouse, your parents, and your children who will celebrate you when you are doing really well.”


25


THINK GLOBAL WOMEN


GLOBAL EDUCATION


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