17 min

#4 - The Dark Side of Flexibility, with Luisa Gagliardi Think Diverse

    • Social Sciences

Why is it so difficult for women to pursue a fulfilling career?
Firms often require a temporal flexibility which is different from the one that employees (and women in particular) are willing to offer. This has profound implications on women's career prospects.
Luisa Gagliardi, assistant professor at the Department of Management and Technology of Bocconi University, has researched the "dark side" of flexibility and tells host Catherine De Vries what she has discovered.
Some companies make a willingness to work long hours a requirement for employment, but this may backfire because the company thus unnecessarily limits the talent pool available. The cost for a company can become dramatic when these spurious criteria are applied to top positions for which less qualified men can and do beat women candidates on this ground alone.

Why is it so difficult for women to pursue a fulfilling career?
Firms often require a temporal flexibility which is different from the one that employees (and women in particular) are willing to offer. This has profound implications on women's career prospects.
Luisa Gagliardi, assistant professor at the Department of Management and Technology of Bocconi University, has researched the "dark side" of flexibility and tells host Catherine De Vries what she has discovered.
Some companies make a willingness to work long hours a requirement for employment, but this may backfire because the company thus unnecessarily limits the talent pool available. The cost for a company can become dramatic when these spurious criteria are applied to top positions for which less qualified men can and do beat women candidates on this ground alone.

17 min