IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/pal/palcom/v10y2023i1d10.1057_s41599-023-02205-9.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Revisiting the ‘flexibility paradox’: degree of work schedule flexibility and time use patterns across gender and occupational groups

Author

Listed:
  • Zhuofei Lu

    (University of Manchester)

  • Senhu Wang

    (National University of Singapore)

  • Wendy Olsen

    (University of Manchester)

Abstract

Whether flexible work schedules facilitate the balance between work and non-work time or instead lead to longer working hours (known as ‘flexibility paradox’) has been extensively debated. Using representative time use data in the UK (2014–2015), this study contributes to the debates by exploring how different types of flexible schedules shape employees’ time use in various domains across gender and occupational groups. We find that using limited flexible schedules with fixed core hours (not unlimited flexible schedules) is significantly related to shorter paid work hours and more free time. The beneficial effects of limited flexible schedules only apply to men in higher occupations, whereas men in lower occupations are likely exploited by these flexible schedules by working more and having less free time. Overall, this study contributes to the debates of ‘flexibility paradox’ by examining the varying nature of flexibility practised and its different time use implications across socio-demographic groups.

Suggested Citation

  • Zhuofei Lu & Senhu Wang & Wendy Olsen, 2023. "Revisiting the ‘flexibility paradox’: degree of work schedule flexibility and time use patterns across gender and occupational groups," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 10(1), pages 1-10, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:pal:palcom:v:10:y:2023:i:1:d:10.1057_s41599-023-02205-9
    DOI: 10.1057/s41599-023-02205-9
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1057/s41599-023-02205-9
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1057/s41599-023-02205-9?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Senhu Wang & Shuanglong Li, 2019. "Exploring Generational Differences of British Ethnic Minorities in Smoking Behavior, Frequency of Alcohol Consumption, and Dietary Style," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(12), pages 1-12, June.
    2. Man Kan, 2008. "Measuring Housework Participation: The Gap between “Stylised” Questionnaire Estimates and Diary-based Estimates," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 86(3), pages 381-400, May.
    3. Zhuofei Lu & Senhu Wang & Yaojun Li & Xiyuan Liu & Wendy Olsen, 2023. "Who Gains Mental Health Benefits from Work Autonomy? The Roles of Gender and Occupational Class," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 18(4), pages 1761-1783, August.
    4. Dumont, Michel & Rayp, Glenn & Willemé, Peter, 2012. "The bargaining position of low-skilled and high-skilled workers in a globalising world," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 19(3), pages 312-319.
    5. Fagan, Colette. & Lyonette, Clare. & Smith, Mark, & Saldaña-Tejeda, Abril., 2012. "The influence of working time arrangements on work-life integration or 'balance' : a review of the international evidence," ILO Working Papers 994705033402676, International Labour Organization.
    6. Melissa Mazmanian & Wanda J. Orlikowski & JoAnne Yates, 2013. "The Autonomy Paradox: The Implications of Mobile Email Devices for Knowledge Professionals," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 24(5), pages 1337-1357, October.
    7. Máté János Lőrincz & José Luis Ramírez-Mendiola & Jacopo Torriti, 2021. "Impact of Time-Use Behaviour on Residential Energy Consumption in the United Kingdom," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(19), pages 1-32, October.
    8. Senhu Wang & Lambert Zixin Li & Zhuofei Lu & Shuanglong Li & David Rehkopf, 2022. "Work Schedule Control and Allostatic Load Biomarkers: Disparities Between and Within Gender," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 163(3), pages 1249-1267, October.
    9. Lonnie Golden, 2008. "Limited Access: Disparities in Flexible Work Schedules and Work-at-home," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 29(1), pages 86-109, March.
    10. Heejung Chung & Mariska van der Horst, 2020. "Flexible Working and Unpaid Overtime in the UK: The Role of Gender, Parental and Occupational Status," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 151(2), pages 495-520, September.
    11. repec:ilo:ilowps:470503 is not listed on IDEAS
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Zhuofei Lu & Senhu Wang & Yaojun Li & Xiyuan Liu & Wendy Olsen, 2023. "Who Gains Mental Health Benefits from Work Autonomy? The Roles of Gender and Occupational Class," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 18(4), pages 1761-1783, August.
    2. Lu, Zhuofei & Wang, Senhu & Ling, Wanying & Guo, Ya, 2023. "Gig work and mental health during the Covid-19 pandemic: A gendered examination of comparisons with regular employment and unemployment," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 337(C).
    3. José Ignacio Giménez-Nadal & Jorge Velilla, 2024. "Home-based work, time allocations, and subjective well-being: gender differences in the United Kingdom," Empirica, Springer;Austrian Institute for Economic Research;Austrian Economic Association, vol. 51(1), pages 1-33, February.
    4. Zhuofei Lu & Wei Zhuang, 2023. "Can Teleworking Improve Workers’ Job Satisfaction? Exploring the Roles of Gender and Emotional Well-Being," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 18(3), pages 1433-1452, June.
    5. Gimenez-Nadal, Jose Ignacio & Velilla, Jorge, 2020. "Home-based work, time endowments, and subjective well-being: Gender differences in the United Kingdom," MPRA Paper 104937, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    6. Zhuofei Lu & Shuo Yan & Jeff Jones & Yucheng He & Qigen She, 2023. "From Housewives to Employees, the Mental Benefits of Employment across Women with Different Gender Role Attitudes and Parenthood Status," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(5), pages 1-13, February.
    7. Billari, Francesco C. & Giuntella, Osea & Stella, Luca, 2018. "Broadband internet, digital temptations, and sleep," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 153(C), pages 58-76.
    8. Viktoria Maria Baumeister & Leonie Petra Kuen & Maike Bruckes & Gerhard Schewe, 2021. "The Relationship of Work-Related ICT Use With Well-being, Incorporating the Role of Resources and Demands: A Meta-Analysis," SAGE Open, , vol. 11(4), pages 21582440211, November.
    9. T. Gries & R. Grundmann & I. Palnau & M. Redlin, 2017. "Innovations, growth and participation in advanced economies - a review of major concepts and findings," International Economics and Economic Policy, Springer, vol. 14(2), pages 293-351, April.
    10. Ellina Samantroy & Sakshi Khurana, 2016. "Care policies and reconciliation of work and family life: experiences of women workers," The Indian Journal of Labour Economics, Springer;The Indian Society of Labour Economics (ISLE), vol. 59(3), pages 363-379, September.
    11. Cardullo, Gabriele & Conti, Maurizio & Sulis, Giovanni, 2015. "Sunk capital, unions and the hold-up problem: Theory and evidence from cross-country sectoral data," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 76(C), pages 253-274.
    12. Yi Sun & Shihui Li & Lingling Yu, 2022. "The dark sides of AI personal assistant: effects of service failure on user continuance intention," Electronic Markets, Springer;IIM University of St. Gallen, vol. 32(1), pages 17-39, March.
    13. Giménez-Nadal, José Ignacio & Velilla, Jorge & Ortega, Raquel, 2022. "Revisiting excess commuting and self-employment: The case of Latin America," GLO Discussion Paper Series 1179, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    14. Armanda Cetrulo & Dario Guarascio & Maria Enrica Virgillito, 2020. "Anatomy of the Italian occupational structure: concentrated power and distributed knowledge," Industrial and Corporate Change, Oxford University Press and the Associazione ICC, vol. 29(6), pages 1345-1379.
    15. Kamila Kolpashnikova & Man-Yee Kan, 2020. "The gender gap in the United States: Housework across racialized groups," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 43(36), pages 1067-1080.
    16. Ruthanne Huising, 2014. "The Erosion of Expert Control Through Censure Episodes," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 25(6), pages 1633-1661, December.
    17. Bosworth, Steven J. & Gimenez-Nadal, Jose Ignacio & Sevilla, Almudena, 2024. "Parental time investments and instantaneous well-being in the United States," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 125542, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    18. Christian P Theurer & Andranik Tumasjan & Isabell M Welpe, 2018. "Contextual work design and employee innovative work behavior: When does autonomy matter?," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 13(10), pages 1-35, October.
    19. Gimenez-Nadal, J. Ignacio & Molina, Jose Alberto, 2015. "Health status and the allocation of time: Cross-country evidence from Europe," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 46(C), pages 188-203.
    20. Jens Thoemmes, 2024. "Negotiating Telework in France: Collective Bargaining Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic," Post-Print hal-04619772, HAL.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:pal:palcom:v:10:y:2023:i:1:d:10.1057_s41599-023-02205-9. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.nature.com/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.