Abstract:
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This study was conducted to achieve the objectives of identifying the socioeconomic
factors that influence career choice, analyzing the organizational factors
inhibiting professionals’ career and life, and analyzing the coping strategies utilized
by the professionals in encountering those barriers.
This is a qualitative study based on a case study research design. Eight cases
on individuals in the Ministry of Public Administration were conducted. In-depth
interviews were used to collect data from thirty-one professionals, including
seventeen women that were purposively selected. Data were collected based on a
checklist prepared to achieve the above-mentioned objectives. Data triangulation was
maintained following the primary and secondary sources. Theoretical issues and
supportive data were collected from the relevant literature, reports, research articles,
and books. The research lacks the views of family members except service-holder
spouses.
The choice of a career is influenced by a number factors; namely, family
background, parents with higher education status, social values, social demand for a
better bride and bridegroom, respect given to civil servants in the society, family
financial crisis, and the professional’s level of education. The case studies showed
that organizational issues such as job security, inherent power and authority of civil
service, desire for changing one’s career based on previous experience in the private
sector, different placement, prospects for promotion, and prospects for professional
development affect their live and career. Parents, especially fathers, influence or motivate women’s career choices. For men, previous work experience, personal
motivation, financial crisis in the family, demand for a bride or groom, and the bread
winner concept influence their career choice. Civil service in Bangladesh is perceived
as a sector with job security, social values, power and authority, and promotion
prospects. Given a job in the civil service one is entitled to a good salary,
accommodations, fringe benefits, and various allowances.
The following are the organizational factors influencing professionals’ career
and life and that force them to adapt certain coping strategies. Some of these factors
limit the professionals’ performance in the workplace and hinder the professionals’
opportunity to spend quality time at home. The transfer of professionals relocates the
family and reduces the time spent with family members and also creates an
opportunity to live with family members for which they try to follow the strategy of
being posted in desired places. The data showed that men were transferred more than
women. This is because women have social connections; for instance, their husbands
are working professionals and have influence on transfers. This means that a transfer
is inflicted by among other things power and class. The fewer number of women
compared to men is one of the considerations taken into account during transfers and
they are found privileged in this regard.
Professionals with access to power have access to other benefits in the
ministry, for example favorable placement. However, male professionals hold
powerful positions in the ministry. As a result, the women in the ministry do not have
access to these positions. These positions are important because they provide access
to power and authority. Women may have access to these positions, but outside
Dhaka, where challenges such as infrastructure, long working hours, social taboos,
and organizational support are limited. Because of such disadvantages women accept
the strategy of forgoing some placements.
As flexible work arrangements are not formally practiced among the Ministry
of Public Administration (MoPA) professionals, women in particular adapt the
informal flexibility of maintaining good relations with their colleagues and
supervisors. The volume of work creates extra pressure on professionals that
permeates family activities. Both practical and unseen reasons are found to
discriminate professionals in terms of promotion. Because of informal reasons for promotion, it is easy to discriminate. Professionals’ connections with political parties
escalate this problem. This practice leads to mistrust among professionals, keeps them
without work, and to a large extent results in loss of public money. This culture
affects the professional’s personal and family life and performance at work.
As almost all male professionals are the only breadwinners in their families,
they struggle to manage their family with one person’s income, which creates the
necessity of adapting the coping strategy of earning money from formal and informal
sources. On the other hand, women professionals do not feel financial scarcity as their
husbands are generally service holders. However, the financial scarcity forces
professionals to restrict their movement in the public domain and in social gathering.
The coping strategies followed by professionals vary from men to women.
They adapt good relations with colleagues, use the power of their spouses, informal
flexibility, appoint domestic servants, get help from family members, financial help
from general provident fund loans from friends or other sources, transfer to desired
places or avoid uncomfortable transfers, live in low-rent housing or eat and save less
money from their salary, avoiding training or obtain foreign training as key coping
strategies.
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