More Time with the Family? Workplace Flexibility Policies and Fathers’ Time with Children

Abstract

How can workplaces ease the “time squeeze” faced by families struggling to balance paid work and family caregiving responsibilities? According to scholars, employers, and policymakers, workplace flexibility policies are a potential solution that may allow parents to spend more time with children. These policies may be particularly salient for fathers’ involvement in family life, as fathers do not feel they spend enough time with children, and as there is persistent gender inequality in the division of care work. Using the 2017-2018 American Time Use Survey Leave Module, this paper examines the association between flextime (control over start and end times) and flexplace (working from home) policies and different-sex partnered fathers’ time with children. Extending prior research, I distinguish between different types of father-child time and between solo parenting and time co-present with the mother. Flexibility policies are associated with increases in fathers’ family time with children – when the mother is also present. Fathers with frequent flextime access report more family time, yet those with less frequent access report less family time. Fathers who use flexplace report more family time, especially if they frequently work from home. Ultimately, this study complicates understanding of the implications of increasingly popular policies for fathers’ involvement, gender inequality, and family well-being.

Parents’ Access to Flexible Work Arrangements and Time in Active Caregiving Activities

“…To begin, a vast body of research documents the positive benefits of workplace flexibility for a variety of outcomes that promote greater caregiving time (Davis et al, 2015;Frech & Kimbro, 2011), including workers' mental and physical health, perceptions of work family conflict, and job satisfaction (Allen et al, 2013(Allen et al, , 2015Kelly et al, 2014;Kim et al, 2020). There is also a smaller but growing body of literature that highlights the links between parents' access to flexible work options and time in general caregiving, including studies documenting a positive association between mothers' flexplace and caregiving time (Craig & Powell, 2012;Genadek & Hill, 2017;Lyttelton et al, 2022;Noonan et al, 2007;Powell & Craig, 2015); fathers' use of flexplace and caregiving (Carlson et al, 2021;Lyttelton et al, 2022;Pabilonia & Vernon, 2021), father's access to flextime for time in routine caregiving (preparing meals, putting children to sleep (Kim, 2020)), and fathers' use of both flexplace and flextime and family caregiving time (i.e., shared with the mother) (Wray, 2021). However, there has been limited research focusing on active caregiving, particularly in a way that is consistent with prior conceptualizations and measurement of this key dimension of parenting (e.g., Kalil et al, 2012;Musick et al, 2016;Prickett & Augustine, 2021).…”

Work-Family Policies and Gender Inequalities in Childcare Time

“…Recent studies have started examining how work-family policies affect the gendered nature of childcare time. Evidence shows that extended and men-focused leave policies improve fathers’ total and solo childcare time (Petts and Knoester 2018; Wray 2020), whereas flexibility policies barely increase fathers’ solo parenting time (Wray 2021). This study builds on previous knowledge to further examine whether and to what extent work-family policies are associated with reduced gender differences in childcare time that vital in shaping gender inequalities in society.…”

“…Evidence also reveals that fathers strengthen their involvement in childcare when taking extended, gender-neutral, or men-focused paid leave or when working at home frequently (Carlson et al 2021;Petts and Knoester 2018;Petts, Knoester, and Li 2020;Wray 2020Wray , 2021. Less clear is whether fathers' increased involvement under certain policy conditions is substantial enough to close gender gaps in childcare time, especially gaps in childcare activities that are vital in shaping gender inequalities in society.…”

“…The access, use, and frequency of access or use of these policies are differentiated. We paid specific attention to childcare time in sole charge and demanding basic childcare tasks, which are at the core of gender inequality in childcare (Craig 2006a; Craig and Mullan 2011; Lamb 2004; Raley, Bianchi, and Wang 2012; Wray 2020, 2021). This study expands previous knowledge by clarifying the circumstances of reduced gender inequalities in childcare time.…”