Opting Out (Without Kids): Understanding Non-Mothers' Workplace Exit in Popular Autobiographies

Abstract

Since the term appeared in 2003, popular media and academics have been interested in the phenomenon of 'opting out' - elite women choosing to leave their jobs to stay at home with their children. Although it is unclear whether the opt-out revolution actually exists, this conversation has resulted in a wealth of scholarship on women leaving successful jobs to care for their children, particularly how maternity might be a graceful time to exit gendered organizations. However, there is not scholarship considering women without children who opt out of the dominant career model. In this study, I look at three popular autobiographies of women who left successful careers to pursue alternative work (farming, baking). I found that the women sought meaning in their work, control over their labour process, and a new definition of success. These narratives provide broader insight into the constraints of the dominant career model and gendered organizations as well as the particular difficulties for non-mothers to opt out. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.