Gendering, courtship and pay equality: developing attraction theory to understand work-life balance and entrepreneurial activity

Objectives: This paper examines one of the most intractable problems of the last 40 years: the difficulty in closing the pay inequality gap. Current wisdom is that the pay gap exists because of men's power to control the workplace, and men's dominant position in society generally. This paper examines an emergent literature on matriarchal power structures and proposes Attraction Theory as a holistic framework. Prior Work: This paper acknowledges a range of feminist literature that examines the underlying social relations and power structures that impact on pay differentials. This is critiqued on the basis of findings from courtship research as well as studies emerging from liberal / progressive writers in the men's movement. Approach: This paper is conceptual, using an inter-disciplinary understanding of social processes to critically appraise both the dominant discourse on equal pay and its emergent alternative. Attraction Theory is presented as a framework for exploring a complex discourse that unequal pay exists both because of men's power to control the workplace and women's power to control courtship and family life. Implications: Tackling pay inequality and work-life balance issues by focussing on power sharing in the workplace represents only a partial policy solution. Further progress depends on power-sharing in parental rights through academic recognition and political action to tackle negative stereotypes that impact on men during romantic courtship, conception, birth and divorce. Value: The value of the paper lies in the originality of the analysis and the range of insights that Attraction Theory provides into societal dynamics that impact on equal pay. The identification of paradoxes in the dominant discourse opens up new avenues for research and policy development on work-life balance. Whether these will close the pay gap is unclear, but it would advance equality and diversity goals by creating confidence that consensual choices rather the institutional inequalities perpetuate any remaining inequalities reported in statistics.</p

Interpersonal dynamics: a communitarian perspective

Conventional theories of power within organisations focus on the extent to which one party can impose their will on others through social influence. Discussion of the way that same-sex and opposite-sex attraction impacts on the workplace is rarely theorised either because it is considered uncivilised or taboo. Investigations are also hampered by resistance amongst research participants even when care is taken to establish mixed groups from different organisations. As a result, holistic theories of management control that take account of sexual behaviour remain rare. This paper examines empirical data from an 18-month critical ethnography to present new theory on interpersonal dynamics, socialisation and identification. A grounded theory is developed that suggests social decisions are closely linked to the psychology of giving and getting attention and assistance. As relationships develop, patterns of giving and receiving create economic and social dependencies that evolve into the tacit rules of social life and affect the bonds between people. Sharp conflicts occur when one party wants to change the relationship and the other party resists. The process of renegotiation affects the stability of directly and indirectly affected relationships and can change patterns of influence and bases of social power. Individuals’ commitment and health can be affected. Decision-making and impacts are affected by the state of other relationships, past experiences, social and economic dependency and the aspirations of both parties. Findings are reviewed against existing theories of power to offer a radical perspective that power has two-faces, the ability to influence and the ability to resist influence. Authoritarian behaviours can be activated by perceptions of powerlessness rather than a sense of power. The implications for handling conflicts and harassment claims are discussed, together with comment on gender theory and its relationship to corporate governance.</p

Social enterprise as a socially rational business

What is the goal of social enterprise policy? Is it the creation of a ‘not-for-profit’ or ‘more-than-profit’ business movement? In institutional policy circles, arguments are shaped by the desire to protect assets for the community, while entrepreneurial discourses favour a mixture of investment sources, surplus sharing and inclusive systems of governance. This article uses data from a critical ethnography to offer a third perspective. Human behaviour is a product of, and support system for, our socio-sexual choices. A grounded theory of social and economic capital is developed that integrates sexuality into organisation development. This constructs business organisations as complex centres of community-building replete with economic and social goals. By viewing corporate governance from this perspective social enterprise is reconceived as a business movement guided by social rationality with the long-term goal of distributing social and economic capital across stakeholder groups to satisfy individual and collective needs.</p

Exploring the Perceptions of Young People in Care and Care Leavers of the Health needs

This paper presents findings from a research study into the health needs and concerns of young people in care and leaving care (aged 14 to 24 years) carried out in Glasgow during 2001 (Scottish Health Feedback 2001). The study was commissioned by Glasgow Alliance Care Leavers Social Inclusion Partnership (known as the big step), which was set up in 1999 as part of the Scottish Executive's Social Inclusion Strategy. The paper discusses the findings and draws implications for future policy and practice

New Jersey 9-1-1 Consolidation Study: Site Visit Results and Implications for Consolidation

In 1999, the Center for Government Services at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey completed a study of New Jersey's E9-1-1 system. The study offered a snapshot of the extensive and decentralized network of communications centers that receive incoming calls requesting emergency assistance and that dispatch police, fire, and medical units. In 2005, the New Jersey Office of Management and Budget commissioned the John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development at Rutgers University to build on the findings of the 1999 study by exploring ways to improve the efficiency of New Jersey's E9-1-1 system while maximizing the use of available funding.This report is the result of site visits and interviews with officials from 12 PSAPs. The focus of this report is on the current landscape of local operations, funding, staffing, equipment, and technology. In addition, this report identifies issues associated with consolidation, including barriers and opportunities, and presents recommendations for promoting consolidation in New Jersey. It is the third of four deliverables to be produced by the Heldrich Center for the State of New Jersey's 9-1-1 Consolidation Study.Presently, there are over 200 Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) and more than 100 enhanced Public Safety Dispatch Points (PSDPs) operating in New Jersey. The central goal of this study is to determine whether a consolidation of PSAPs and PSDPs could reduce costs while maintaining and/or improving the level of service. In this report, consolidation is defined as the reduction in the number of locally managed PSAPs and PSDPs that provide emergency communications services