Martin works in accounts. But he's one of the senior team in the department.
Like Martin, all of them are men, because they understand that the company comes first and that people who work full time are more deserving of promotions. After all, everyone knows that part-timers, usually women, have taken their eye off the ball and aren't career-minded.
Martin agrees with this, and makes sure that the managers who work for him are also men. They are on his wavelength. Plus it makes team-building much easier as it's a pint down the pub where they can banter. Women can be over-sensitive and take things the wrong way. Martin doesn't worry about this because he knows that it's all good fun and just a laugh, but it's easier all round to avoid having a woman as one of his line-reports.
Martin did once have a female manager working for him. Lucy was very efficient but Martin found it uncomfortable because she didn't respect his natural authority. Plus his other managers complained as she was getting better results than them. Martin was a little torn - the better results made him look good - but she also had ideas about changing things which Martin didn't think needed to be changed.
Fortunately Lucy became pregnant and decided not to come back after her maternity leave. She did ask Martin for a flexible working request, but everyone knows that's just an excuse for women to bunk off early to play with their babies. Besides Martin knows that it takes a full-time job away from a man. Luckily Martin's boss also agrees with him, and HR were instructed to turn down the request. Martin knows he did the right thing - it's far better for Lucy to give up her management aspirations and be at home with her baby where she belongs.
Martin does consider himself to be an equal opportunities boss though. Almost all of the admin assistants and accounts clerks in his department are women. Martin thinks this is a good balance, as these are junior roles where it doesn't matter if they are part-time. Martin wouldn't have had an issue if Lucy had asked to come back as a part-time administrator.
Occasionally a trainee or graduate comes through, like Sophie. Martin likes this as it's a change in routine and he enjoys how deferential Sophie is. She recognises his natural authority - unlike his wife.
Sophie is on a fast-track management scheme but Martin doesn't mind this. He knows that in the future Sophie will decide to have babies - at which point she will either stay at home like Lucy, or come back as a part-time administrator. Even if Sophie doesn't have babies, Martin would never put her in his management team. Everyone knows that women can have children at any point and that it's far too much of a risk. Besides, he doesn't want a repeat of the Lucy situation.
It's amazing that so many of his admin assistants and clerks have degrees and previous management experience. Claire, one of his part-time credit controllers, used to run an entire department and once had a job more senior than Martin's! That was before she had her kids though. Martin thinks it's a fantastic result that he has so many qualified people working for him.
Martin knows that he is a good guy and respected in the workplace - all of the women are very nice and respectful of him. It would never occur to Martin to wonder if this deference and respect was due to his employees wanting to protect their employment prospects.