Parents, Perceptions and Belonging: Exploring Flexible Working among UK Fathers and Mothers

Gatrell, Caroline J, Burnett, Simon B, Cooper, Cary L and Sparrow, Paul (2014) Parents, Perceptions and Belonging: Exploring Flexible Working among UK Fathers and Mothers British Journal of Management, 25 (3). pp. 473-487.

Text BJM paper accepted Jan 2014.docx - Author Accepted Manuscript Download (124kB)

Abstract

This paper advances knowledge regarding how fathers and mothers perceive and experience flexible working opportunities. It does this through applying the theoretical concept ‘belonging’ to ‘Parsonian’ classifications of parenting and work. In so doing it makes transparent the misconceptions and inequities which exist among parents and their organizational environments. Focusing initially on a qualitative study of fathers’ experience of working flexibly, the paper shows how fathers felt marginalized from the possibilities of flexible work due to line managers’ assumptions that men belonged to an ‘instrumental’ economic provider group. The paper contributes a new angle to debate by articulating how fathers perceived employed mothers as belonging to an ‘expressive’ child‐oriented group, with privileged access to flexibility. However, drawing upon a study of maternity and flexible work we query fathers’ assumptions that flexibility was easily available to mothers, suggesting that fathers’ perceptions of maternal privilege were misconceived. While mothers were categorized as belonging within an ‘expressive’ group associated with childcare, they were nevertheless discouraged from accessing flexibility. Inequities between women and men (with regard to flexibility) thus appeared to be less significant than fathers supposed.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	35 Commerce, Management, Tourism and Services, 3505 Human Resources and Industrial Relations, 3506 Marketing, 3507 Strategy, Management and Organisational Behaviour
Depositing User:	Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited:	19 Oct 2016 13:40
Last Modified:	19 Jul 2024 06:57
DOI:	10.1111/1467-8551.12050
Related Websites:	Author Publisher
URI:	https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3003858
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