Gender, flexibility stigma, and the perceived negative consequences of flexible working in the UK

This study examines the prevalence and the gender differences in the perceptions and experiences of

flexibility stigma – i.e., the belief that workers who use flexible working arrangements for care

purposes are less productive and less committed to the workplace. This is done by using the 4th wave

of the Work-Life Balance Survey conducted in 2011 in the UK. The results show that 35% of all

workers agree to the statement that those who work flexibly generate more work for others and 32%

believe that those who work flexibly have lower chances for promotion. Men are more likely to agree

to the former, while women especially mothers are more likely to agree to the latter. Similarly, men

are more likely to say they experienced negative outcomes due to co-workers working flexibly, while

again mothers are more likely to say they experienced negative career consequences due to their own

flexible working. The use of working time reducing arrangements such as part-time is a major reason

why people experience negative career outcomes, and can partially explain why mothers are more

likely to suffer from such outcomes when working flexibly. However, this relationship could be

reverse, namely, the stigma towards part-time workers may be due to negative perceptions society

hold towards mothers’ commitment to work and their productivity. In sum, this paper shows that

flexibility stigma is gendered, in that men are more likely to discriminate against flexible workers,

while women, especially mothers, are more likely to suffer from such discrimination.