ABSTRACT

Despite an increase in dual-earner families and the recent emphasis on involved fathering and work-family balance, there is a paucity of Australian men adopting flexible working arrangements to help them better manage work and family life. This research explored Australian father’s perceptions and experiences of workplace flexibility, and the factors that influence their engagement with such arrangements. Fifteen white-collar working fathers of young to older children (0–12 years) participated in the study. Semi-structured interviews were used to elicit a narrative, which was then analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. The findings suggest that fathers face both external and internal barriers to workplace flexibility, including: men’s connectedness to the provider role, organizational cultures that dissuade or prevent men from using such practices, a lack of modeling from senior workers or leaders, a commitment to being the ideal worker, and a connection between work-dedication and masculine identity.

摘要

尽管双职工家庭有所增加，并且最近强调了为人父母和工作与家庭的平衡，但很少有澳大利亚男性采用灵活的工作安排来帮助他们更好地管理工作和家庭生活。本研究探讨了澳大利亚父亲对工作场所灵活性的看法和经验，以及影响他们参与此类安排的因素。15 名年轻到年长儿童（0-12 岁）的白领工作父亲参与了这项研究。半结构化访谈用于引出叙述，然后使用解释性现象学分析对其进行分析。研究结果表明，父亲在工作场所灵活性方面面临外部和内部障碍，包括：男性与提供者角色的联系，