Family-Friendly Policies, Gender, and Work–Life Balance in the Public Sector

Abstract

Family-friendly policies and culture are important components of creating a healthy work environment and are positively related to work outcomes for public employees and organizations. Furthermore, family-friendly policies and culture are critical mechanisms for supporting the careers and advancement of women in public service and enhancing gender equity in public sector employment. While both policies and culture can facilitate women’s participation in the public sector workforce, they may affect men and women differently. Using data from a 2011 study with a nationwide sample of state government employees, we investigate the effects of employee take-up of leave policies, employer supported access to child care, alternative work scheduling, and a culture of family support on work–life balance (WLB). We examine where these variables differ in their effects on WLB among men and women and make specific recommendations to further WLB among women. The results inform the literature on family-friendly policies and culture in public organizations.

Are Federal Child Care Programs Sufficient for Employee Retention? Critical Examination From a Gendered Perspective

“…Child care programs are key components of the familyfriendly initiatives. These help to achieve high priority organizational goals, such as increased employee productivity, high employee satisfaction and organizational commitment, reduced absenteeism, and increased employee retention, particularly, of female employees with child care responsibilities (Caillier, 2012(Caillier, , 2013(Caillier, , 2016Feeney & Stritch, 2017;J. Kim & Wiggins, 2011; S. Y.…”

Cultura de conciliación y conflicto trabajo/familia en trabajadores con turnos laborales

“…Esta investigación explora dos vías, una de ellas asociada a la amenaza del estereotipo para las empleadas mujeres en entornos muy masculinizados, precisamente como las empresas de seguridad o la policía (von Hippel, Kalekerinos y Zacher, 2017). La otra está asociada a la infrautilización de estas políticas entre los empleados varones que temen ser valorados también negativamente por su entorno, como ponen de relieve trabajos con muestras extensas del sector público (Feeney, Bernal, y Bowman, 2014;Feeney y Stritch, 2017;Rudman y Mescher, 2013).…”

Public Versus Private Employees: A Perspective on the Characteristics and Implications

“…Work–life balance is more prevalent in the public sector, and research shows that government employees enjoy extended work–life balance benefits, which can include any combination of flex work, paid leave, sick leave, unpaid leave, etc. (Feeney & Stritch, 2017). Generally, public-sector employees report fewer working hours, with an additional gender variable of females working fewer hours onsite (Buelens & Van den Broeck, 2007).…”

“…Existing research presents a general consensus on the basic characteristics of public employees. Civil servants appear to be highly educated individuals that value serving the greater public in the realms of employment stability and work–life balance (Baldwin, 1987; Bourantas & Papalexandris, 1999; Feeney & Stritch, 2017). Public employees are generally a low-producing workforce that may not be in full agreement with organizational goals and values.…”