A junior banker, when faced with a wife griping about the long hours he worked, recently posed his better half a question: “Do you think I would work less hours if I had a different job?” She paused for a moment, before answering: “No.”

This anecdote, garnered during one of multiple conversations with past and present analysts, associates and vice-presidents at bulge-bracket banks, encapsulates one of the many issues banks face when addressing working conditions for junior bankers.