French Fathers in Work Organizations: Navigating Work-Life Balance Challenges

Abstract

This chapter aims at contributing to a better understanding of the challenges and tensions that French working fathers experience at work in trying to achieve work-life balance. Drawing on a sample of 20 fathers, aged 27–51, working in different work organizations, in-depth interviews were conducted to investigate how these fathers navigate tensions between the simultaneous pressure for having a successful career and for embodying an involved fatherhood. The findings show that the fathers’ perceptions and expectations towards work-life balance are different from women, fathers often associating their needs for work-life balance with occasional and informal flexibility and not always viewing the organization as a source of solutions. Heterogeneously influenced by their cultural ideals of work and fatherhood, they expect now more proactivity, recognition and support on the part of their organization and supervisor to fully carry out their fatherhood. A typology of three profiles with different ways of combining fatherhood and work is derived: the ‘breadwinner’ father, the ‘caring father’ and the ‘want to have it all’ father. These categories are further developed highlighting the practices and strategies French fathers mobilize to solve their work-life equation.

Review article: Parenting leaves, workplace characteristics, male health, and the pandemic: Currents in policy-related fatherhood research in higher income countries

“…Scholars explore how there remains a strong association between fathering identity and paid work, which means that many fathers continue to wish to signal full commitment to the workplace, rather than use family policies that may be available to them (Borgkvist, 2022). That is to say, that some fathers consider that using family policies might be a risk to their employment (Tanquerel, 2022). It is well established that women pay a price for becoming mothers and there is some evidence to suggest that the penalty for involved fathers may be even steeper (Harrington, 2022;Williams et al, 2016).…”

Intersections of women’s identities in professional accountancy careers

“…Moreover, there is evidence of the benefits of responsible, committed fatherhood to children, fathers and families, which means that it is of much relevance also for society and organizations (Grau-Grau et al , 2022). In many developed countries, men increasingly seek to spend more time at home, especially when they are fathers of young children (Gregory and Milner, 2011) or to be involved fathers, spending time and engaging with their children during the working week (Tanquerel, 2022). Thus, engaging in ordinary parental tasks, that is, normalizing male engagement in childcare and domestic responsibilities, might be a suitable solution.…”

Paternal supervisor gatekeeping: How supervising fathers hinder other fathers at work in their uptake of flexible work arrangements

“…This study is conducted in a French context, which has been identified as a specifically ‘rich context’ for wider exploration of experiences of fatherhood within organizations due to its historically maternal orientation and high levels of gender inequality (OECD, 2020; Tanquerel, 2022). In an attempt to address this, the French government has increased employment rights with regard to the principle of joint parenting and parental leave schemes, and most notable for this study, altered the paternity leave entitlement.…”

“…In an attempt to address this, the French government has increased employment rights with regard to the principle of joint parenting and parental leave schemes, and most notable for this study, altered the paternity leave entitlement. In 2021, France extended its paternity leave provision, which resulted in all new fathers receiving 3 mandatory leave days at the time of birth, paid for by the employer, which has a take up rate of around 70%, in addition to a longer period of paternity leave, which entitles fathers to a further 21 days (Tanquerel, 2022). Paternal leave cannot be denied if an employee has been with the organization for more than a year.…”

“…While uptake of paternity leave has recently improved in France, 55% of women reduce their professional activity or take time off after the birth of a child, compared to 12% of fathers. Only 5% take up the noncompulsory extended paternity leave, and only 4% of French fathers work part‐time (Pailhé et al., 2018; Tanquerel, 2022). Moreover, mothers spend twice more time with their children than fathers and despite the increasingly generous policies, the basic gendered division of labor has not changed (Fagnani & Letablier, 2007; Gregory & Milner, 2008).…”