Men in Mid-Career : A study of British managers and technical specialists (Cambridge Studies in Sociology)

Originally published in 1970, Men in Mid-Career deals with the problems of men aged 35–40 who have invested half a work-life in one type of career and may now be at a turning-point. It is at this stage that they come to realise the implications of the commitments they have made during the last 15–20 years. By this time, their personal reputations rest mainly with one employing organisation and it is difficult for them to leave unless they take a bold step involving great risks and far-reaching implications for their families, homes and types of life. The author provides a comprehensive review of the literature on the subject that was emanating from the UK and US, and goes on to report on a detailed study of representative samples of managers and technical specialists in two large UK firms. The book juxtaposes the viewpoints of senior management and the man whose career is simultaneously a building block in a task-centred system and the repository of his identity.