Focusing on women in the UK, the study highlights that it is ‘the ability to take advantage of the opportunity to work flexibly that is most useful’ in preventing mothers from dropping out of the labour market after having their first child.
The research, led by Dr Heejung Chung, from the University of Kent, found that women who were able to use flexible working were less likely to significantly reduce their working hours after the birth of their child, allowing them to maintain their career trajectory.
The research used two waves of Understanding Society data, Read more about downloading this dataset.
This effect was especially the case for women who used flexitime prior to the birth of their child as well as after, the researchers found.
The study showed that it is the use of flexitime – rather than perceived access to it – that matters most. The researchers found that ‘for mothers with new-borns, perceived access to flexitime in itself may not be enough to tackle the work-life balance demands they are faced with. The flexibility needs to be enacted to really make a difference’.
The research will have implications for the debate over the UK’s gender pay gap, say the authors. ‘Flexible working may help alleviate some of the negative consequences of the motherhood penalty, by allowing mothers to remain in human-capital-intensive jobs, which can help diminish the gender wage gap’.
Further, allowing mothers to maintain their employment status ‘will have major implications for retaining human capital for companies and societies as a whole,’ the authors conclude.
Read all of the media coverage relating to this story on the Understanding Society Scoop.it page
Related links
- Tell us about your research
- Register for events and training
- Register for the Understanding Society newsletter
- Follow us on Twitter
