Which Forms of Work Flexibility Retain Working Mothers: A Moderated Mediation Model of Flexibility Need, Flexibility Use, and Top Management Support

This study investigates the relative impact of utilizing various forms of work flexibility on mothers’ retention in full-time jobs. Drawing from a model of work reentry for new mothers and Human Ecology Theory (HET), we theorize that mothers’ flexibility needs influence retention through flexibility use and that top management support strengthens this process. Using a cross-sectional Qualtrics online survey, we recruited a diverse sample of 213 women across the United States who stayed with or left their full-time jobs after childbirth or adoption. Using relative weights and path analysis, we compared six forms of flexibility. Schedule, career, and leave flexibility emerged as stronger predictors of retention than other forms of flexibility, with schedule flexibility explaining the largest proportion of variance. For most flexibility types, the need for flexibility increased usage, which, in turn, raised the likelihood of staying in a full-time position. Strong top management work–life support further strengthened the relationship between need and use for certain forms of flexibility. We extend the work reentry framework beyond early motherhood by including mothers in later career and parenting stages. Our results also extend HET by demonstrating that top management support is a critical environmental factor influencing whether flexibility need translates into actual use by working mothers. This suggests that working mothers use flexibility to shape their work environment to meet personal needs, and top management support signals that the use of flexibility effectively addresses these needs. From a practical standpoint, organizations can use these insights to design flexibility policies that more effectively support working mothers in their full-time jobs.