Are Women Discriminated Against in Requests for Flex-Time to Pursue Career Development Opportunities?

A new study led by Victoria L. Brescoll, an assistant professor of organizational behavior at the Yale School of Management, finds that men who request flex-time scheduling changes so they can pursue career development opportunities are more likely to be approved than women who request flex-time scheduling changes for the same purpose.

“If scheduling leeway to pursue career advancement is granted to men who are already in high-status positions, that may contribute to their more rapid career advancement,” Dr. Brescoll says. “It may also be that the association between women and motherhood is so strong that even high-status women requesting flex-time to advance their careers might be suspected of hiding the true reason for their request, or they may be viewed as less deserving of further training because it’s assumed that they’ll leave their jobs in the future. There’s an actuarial mistrust of women workers that even women who have proven themselves by achieving high-status jobs and asking for more career training can’t overcome.”

The article, “Ask and Ye Shall Receive? The Dynamics of Employer-Provided Flexible Work Options and the Need for Public Policy,” is published in the Journal of Social Issues. It may be accessed here.

Dr. Brescoll is a graduate of the University of Michigan. She holds two master’s degree and a Ph.D. in social psychology from Yale University.