A person-in-context perspective on care(e)r success: examining (changing) conceptualisations of career success of mid-life women providing informal care for dependent adults

This article explores the perspectives of career success of mid-life (ages 45–65) women engaging in paid employment alongside informal caring for dependent adults in the United Kingdom (UK). Calendar interviews were conducted with 30 mid-life women in Leicestershire where the focus was on understanding the participants’ own perspectives on career success. Findings demonstrate that following the turning point or career shock of becoming a carer, mid-life women often report changing perceptions of career success towards subjective measures. This extends existing literature on the shaping of career transitions to specifically include the effects of decisions around care responsibilities on perspectives on career success. We demonstrate the utility of the notion of the sustainable career and bring a different perspective to the literature on career success, an important contribution especially as the need to balance informal caring and formal employment has become more prevalent. Finally, we highlight a specific role for Human Resource Development practitioners in managing policy and career conversations with employees beyond objective measures enabling individuals to pursue career success in ways that can integrate work and non-work roles.