Critical considerations of workplace flexibility “for all” and gendered outcomes: Men being flexible about their flexibility

Abstract

AbstractFlexible working arrangements (FWA) “for all, from the CEO down”, have begun to be promoted in Australia, heralded as a means to finally achieve gender equity in the workplace. However, workplaces are gendered spaces in which masculine traits and unconstrained availability are usually highly valued, as encapsulated in the notion of the ideal worker, and women are seen as lacking or “other”. We undertook a study to examine how upper level managers in large, male‐dominated organizations endorsing FWA for all perceived and reflected on the use of FWA within their organizations and by themselves. Interviews were undertaken with 12 upper level managers (9 men). Applying a social constructionist perspective and critical theoretical lens informed by theories of Acker and Ahmed, qualitative analysis suggested that, despite being “for all” in organizational rhetoric, FWA remains viewed as “for women”, and appropriate to lower level, routinized roles. Upper level managers described themselves and other men as able to be “flexible about their flexibility” thus maintaining their standing as ideal workers. This framing of flexibility has implications for men, women and society. It enabled ongoing positioning of women as other in workplace settings, rendering invisible structural inequality. Thus, FWA for all does not necessarily transform workplace gender equity.