Invisible boundaries: barriers to flexible working arrangements for fathers

ABSTRACT

Despite an increase in dual-earner families and the recent emphasis on involved fathering and work-family balance, there is a paucity of Australian men adopting flexible working arrangements to help them better manage work and family life. This research explored Australian father’s perceptions and experiences of workplace flexibility, and the factors that influence their engagement with such arrangements. Fifteen white-collar working fathers of young to older children (0–12 years) participated in the study. Semi-structured interviews were used to elicit a narrative, which was then analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. The findings suggest that fathers face both external and internal barriers to workplace flexibility, including: men’s connectedness to the provider role, organizational cultures that dissuade or prevent men from using such practices, a lack of modeling from senior workers or leaders, a commitment to being the ideal worker, and a connection between work-dedication and masculine identity.

KEYWORDS:

• Fatherhood
• flexible-working
• workplace-norms
• work-family-nexus

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This research did not receive any specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sector.

Notes on contributors

Alina Ewald

Alina Ewald is currently researching fathers and flexible working arrangements as a PhD candidate within the School of Psychology at Western Sydney University.

Rachel Hogg

Dr Rachel Hogg is currently a lecturer within the School of Psychology at Charles Sturt University.