Felice Schwartz made waves in her 1989 Harvard Business Review article that suggested that the costs of employing women in management was greater than the costs of employing men. Schwartz recommended that women be divided into two categories: “career primary” and “career and family.” The article prompted a fierce controversy that included the accusation that Schwartz advocated a separate “mommy track” for women who were willing to give up higher pay and promotion opportunities in exchange for more flexible jobs that allowed them to attend to family needs.

The mommy track controversy was a foreshadowing of things to come. The vast majority of employees, both male and female, want to be able to lead fulfilling career as well as family lives. Indeed a recent Fortune 500 poll of senior male executives found that 84 percent reported that they want job options that allow them to realize their professional aspirations while having more time for things outside of work (Miller, Miller, & Zappone, 2005). Additionally, half of the men had questioned if the sacrifices they made for their careers were worth it. Although organizations have become more cognizant of the needs of employees who wish to balance their work and family lives, and are increasingly implementing policies and benefits designed to help them do so, organizational career development systems are still primarily based on outdated models that presume the career is all-important to all employees.