Multilevel Continua of Mothers, Fathers and Childless Women and Men’s Work–Life “Choices” and Their Constraints, Enablers and Consequences

Beth Turnbull (), Ann Taket and Melissa Graham
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Beth Turnbull: Department of Public Health, School of Psychology and Public Health, College of Science, Health and Engineering, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Melbourne 3083, Australia
Ann Taket: School of Health and Social Development, Faculty of Health, Deakin University, Burwood, Melbourne 3125, Australia
Melissa Graham: Department of Public Health, School of Psychology and Public Health, College of Science, Health and Engineering, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Melbourne 3083, Australia

Social Sciences, 2023, vol. 12, issue 3, 1-35

Abstract: Gendered and classed working, parenting and other life contexts create multifaceted interactions between quantitative (including time and effort-intensive) and qualitative (including needs, interests, aspirations and identities) work and life contexts. This research aimed to understand mothers, fathers and childless women and men’s gendered and classed strategies for managing multifaceted work and life interactions in their multilevel contexts. The research consisted of a qualitative case study of a large Australian organisation that ostensibly prioritised diversity and inclusion and offered flexible working arrangements to all employees. A grounded theory approach was used to analyse forty-seven employees’ responses to open-ended questions in a self-administered questionnaire, combined with iterative in-depth interviews with 10 employees. The findings suggested mothers, fathers, childless women and men’s nuanced strategies for managing multifaceted work–life interactions were explained by multilevel continua of “choices” between incompatible quantitative and qualitative work and life contexts, embedded in gendered and classed individual, family, community, organisational and societal constraints, enablers and consequences, which inhibited agency to make genuine work–life choices. These “choices” reflected and reinforced societally and organisationally hegemonic working, mothering, fathering and childlessness discourses.

Keywords: work–life interactions; parent-status; femininities; masculinities; ideal workers; gender; class; Australia (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A B N P Y80 Z00 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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