Implications of Childcare Responsibilities for Workplace Performances & Interactions

Scientists with childcare responsibilities are evaluated by their colleagues as less competent and committed. The flexibility stigma has been extensively documented; however, the processes and mechanisms through which the use of flexible work arrangements lead to the flexibility stigma has received less attention. In this theory development paper, we identify mechanisms, grounded in workplace observation, that explain why faculty members who adapt their schedules to care for children may experience stigma in the workplace. We analyze and compare the time control approaches of female and male professors in the physical and formal sciences with and without childcare responsibilities. We show the implications time control and allocation strategies have for social exchange – specifically performances and interactions – in the workplace. Women with childcare responsibilities allocate most workplace interactions and performances to "service science" in which they are seen contributing - teaching and serving – to their department. They perform their research activities primarily in private and outside the office. Men without childcare responsibilities allocate most workplace interactions and performances to "public science" in which they publicly interact with peers on topics of science. Men with childcare responsibilities combine service science and public science. In performing service science, women with childcare responsibilities experience isolation from peers and develop reputations around service and teaching work. This may in turn lead colleagues to view them as less committed and competent. We discuss potential implications for scientific productivity, connecting our findings to recent studies of gendered productivity, patenting, and scientific advisory board participation findings.