Women in extraordinary times: the impact of external jolts on professional women’s careers

This article examines the impact of external jolts on professional women’s careers. Although scholars have begun to address the role of context in career, little research has addressed the effects of unexpected and uncontrollable events. This is regrettable, particularly in the light of the current pandemic that appears to be impacting on us in hitherto unimaginable ways. We draw on the accounts of women professionals who appeared on the iconic BBC radio programme, Desert Island Discs. Our study culminates in two contributions: the first relates to the interplay of structure and agency in women’s accounts of jolts and their response. The second argues that jolts trigger changes in the career imagination, and potentially in professional landscapes themselves.