ABSTRACT
To commemorate 40 years since the founding of the Journal of Business Ethics, the editors in chief of the journal have invited the editors to provide commentaries on the future of business ethics. This essay comprises a selection of commentaries aimed at creating dialogue around the theme Ethics at the centre of global and local challenges. For much of the history of the Journal of Business Ethics, ethics was seen within the academy as a peripheral aspect of business. However, in recent years, the stakes have risen dramatically, with global and local worlds destabilized by financial crisis, climate change, internet technologies and artificial intelligence, and global health crises. The authors of these commentaries address these grand challenges by placing business ethics at their centre. What if all grand challenges were framed as grand ethical challenges? Tanusree Jain, Arno Kourula and Suhaib Riaz posit that an ethical lens allows for a humble response, in which those with greater capacity take greater responsibility but remain inclusive and cognizant of different voices and experiences. Focussing on business ethics in connection to the grand(est) challenge of environmental emergencies, Steffen Böhm introduces the deceptively simple yet radical position that business is nature, and nature is business. His quick but profound side-step from arguments against human-nature dualism to an ontological undoing of the business-nature dichotomy should have all business ethics scholars rethinking their "business and society" assumptions. Also, singularly concerned with the climate emergency, Boudewijn de Bruin posits a scenario where, 40 years from now, our field will be evaluated by its ability to have helped humanity emerge from this emergency. He contends that Milieudefensie (Friends of the Earth) v. Royal Dutch Shell illustrates how human rights take centre stage in climate change litigation, and how business ethics enters the courtroom. From a consumer ethics perspective, Deirdre Shaw, Michal Carrington and Louise Hassan argue that ecologically sustainable and socially just marketplace systems demand cultural change, a reconsideration of future interpretations of "consumer society", a challenge to the dominant "growth logic" and stimulation of alternative ways to address our consumption needs. Still concerned with global issues, but turning attention to social inequalities, Nelarine Cornelius links the capability approach (CA) to global and corporate governance, arguing that CA will continue to lie at the foundation of human development policy, and, increasingly, CSR and corporate governance. Continuing debate on the grand challenges associated with justice and equality, Laurence Romani identifies a significant shift in the centrality of business ethics in debates on managing (cultural) differences, positing that dialogue between diversity management and international management can ground future debate in business ethics. Finally, the essay concludes with a commentary by Charlotte Karam and Michelle Greenwood on the possibilities of feminist-inspired theories, methods, and positionality for many spheres of business ethics, not least stakeholder theory, to broaden and deepen its capacity for nuance, responsiveness, and transformation. In the words of our commentators, grand challenges must be addressed urgently, and the Journal of Business Ethics should be at the forefront of tackling them.
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Gendered differences in career paths of medical graduates persist globally. We aim to explore the impact of domestic tethers on the career paths of physicians by studying gendered differences in domestic burdens of physicians as well as differences in perceptions around the impact of domestic work on professional advancement. METHODS: A web-based survey including 38 questions was sent to all 3866 physician alumni of the top academic medical school in Lebanon. Data was collected between November 2018 and January 2019, with up to three invite reminders. Overall, 382 were included in the final analysis, 124 women (32%), 258 men (68%). RESULTS: The study had a response rate of 10.4%. Findings show that a greater percentage of men were married and had children (77.5% vs 62.1%, p = 0.004, 77.9% vs 51.6%, <0.001, respectively). Majority of both women and men held full-time positions (82.1% and 87.1%), having children however reduced the odds significantly [OR = 0.2, 95% CI: (0.1-0.6), p = 0.01]for women, while only older age reduced it for men (OR = 0.1,95% CI: (0.04-0.2), p<0.001]. Among full-time physicians, men and women spent similar time on professional activities (60.2hrs/wk vs 58.3hrs/wk, p = 0.32). Women spent more time on parenting and household work (23.5hrs/wk vs 10.4hrs/wk, <0.001; 8.9hrs/wk vs 6.0hrs/wk, p = 0.001, respectively). Women physicians' spouses contributed to 14.5 hours/week of total time on domestic activities whereas men physicians' spouses spent two folds more time on domestic activities (35.0 hours/week, P<0.001). Of physicians with children, a higher percentage of women than men reported that children prevented their career advancement or their participation in development opportunities (43.8% vs 15.9%, p<0.001; 50.0% vs 19.4%, p<0.001, respectively). A greater percentage of women than men scaled back their career after first child (31.3% vs 3.5%, <0.001). Of married/partnered physicians, fewer women than men reported their career took priority over their partner's when conflicts arose, (52.0% vs 86.0%, p<0.001). CONCLUSION: These findings highlight the heavier impact of domestic tethers on the career paths of women physicians than men physicians. Men are more likely than women to hold full-time positions in the early advancement defining phases of their careers. Full-time women shoulder more domestic work than men and experience more professional advancement concessions. Closing persistent gender gaps in medicine requires addressing inequities in domestic burdens through strategies that include mentorship on domestic tethers, support of on-site child-care and advocacy for parental leave policies that encourage shared care-work.
