Flexible Schedules Beat Remote Work in Keeping Mothers in Full-Time Jobs, Study Finds
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A Sacred Heart University study of 213 US working mothers finds control over working hours predicts staying in full-time work far better than working from home.
What Happened
A study led by Professor Jeanine Andreassi of Sacred Heart University in the United States has found that flexible working hours do more than remote work to keep mothers in full-time jobs. The research was published in the peer-reviewed journal Administrative Sciences. It was summarized on 2 September 2026. The team surveyed 213 US mothers online. The findings challenge a common belief that working from home is the benefit mothers value most.
Key Facts
- The study surveyed 213 mothers across the United States using an online questionnaire. All had either stayed in or left full-time jobs after the birth or adoption of a child.
- Researchers compared six forms of workplace flexibility. Schedule flexibility, career flexibility and maternity leave were the strongest predictors of whether a mother stayed in full-time work.
- Schedule flexibility alone accounted for nearly 30 per cent of the variation in mothers' decisions to remain in their roles.
- Location flexibility, the freedom to work from home or elsewhere, explained less than 6 per cent of the variation in mothers' decisions to stay in full-time work.
- Working mothers who both needed and used flexible working policies were significantly more likely to remain employed full time. The paper reports that need is a key driver of whether flexibility is used.
- In the CNBC and SurveyMonkey Women at Work 2026 poll, 45 per cent of women workers said they feel burned out. Among women whose work-life balance improved, 57 per cent named flexibility as the leading reason.
- The same poll found 27 per cent of women had considered quitting or had quit their job within the past 12 months. The rate was 38 per cent among burned-out women, against 7 per cent for others.
- A 2024 analysis by Change in Content, citing survey data, says Indian women spend an average of 7.2 hours a day on unpaid domestic tasks, against 2.8 hours for men.
Why It Matters
Many employers have treated remote work as the main way to support working mothers. This study suggests that belief may be incomplete. Andreassi, a professor in the university's business department, said in a university statement that giving mothers control over when they work may matter even more than control over where they work.
Location flexibility has become far more common since the coronavirus pandemic that began in 2020. The authors note that being more common did not make it more decisive in whether mothers kept their full-time jobs. The university described the results as data-driven guidance for firms rethinking flexibility to recruit and retain talent.
The study also carries a practical message about culture. A policy that exists on paper does not help if employees feel unable to use it. The paper tests whether support from top management makes it easier for mothers to use the benefits on offer, and suggests organisations need workplaces where staff feel supported enough to take them up.
Wider evidence points the same way. In the CNBC and SurveyMonkey poll, 17 per cent of women workers said their work-life balance had worsened, and 33 per cent of those women cited a less flexible schedule as a main driver. Among women who feel burned out, 46 per cent worried that flexible work could hurt future career goals, against 20 per cent of those who rarely or never feel mentally exhausted.
For India, the care burden is the relevant context. A Deloitte survey of 500 Indian women, run between November 2021 and February 2022, found only about a third said their employers offered flexible working policies. The study is a cross-sectional survey of US women, so it shows associations, not cause and effect, and does not cover Indian workplaces.
| Measure | Share of variation in staying full time |
|---|---|
| Schedule flexibility | nearly 30% |
| Location flexibility | under 6% |
Impact
Short-term: Employers can use the findings to review which flexibility options they offer. The study points to choice over start and finish times, career flexibility and adequate maternity leave. It also points to backing managers so that staff can use these policies. For women weighing a job offer, the study supports asking how flexible hours work in daily practice, and treating working hours as seriously as salary or location when negotiating.
Long-term: The findings add to the debate on how firms keep women in full-time roles as they rethink flexibility after the pandemic. If employers focus on giving mothers control over when they work, the study suggests more may stay in full-time jobs. It also supports treating a request for flexible hours as a normal part of career planning, not a sign of reduced ambition. Cause and effect remain unproven in this survey.
Who is affected: The most directly affected group is working mothers in full-time jobs, along with the employers and human resources teams that design flexibility policies. The sample covers 213 US mothers. Indian workplaces differ in commuting, joint-family care and childcare access, so the findings are best read as a guide to what to ask employers. Indian women face a heavy unpaid care load, at 7.2 hours a day by one 2024 analysis.
Key Takeaway
Among 213 US mothers surveyed, schedule flexibility explained nearly 30 per cent of the variation in staying in full-time work, while location flexibility explained under 6 per cent.
Questions and Answers
What did the Sacred Heart University study find about flexible working hours?
The study led by Professor Jeanine Andreassi found schedule flexibility accounted for nearly 30 per cent of the variation in mothers' decisions to stay in full-time work. Location flexibility explained less than 6 per cent.
How many mothers were surveyed in the flexible working study?
The researchers surveyed 213 mothers across the United States using an online questionnaire. All had either stayed in or left full-time jobs after the birth or adoption of a child.
Which workplace policies best predict mothers staying in full-time jobs?
Schedule flexibility, career flexibility and maternity leave were the strongest predictors of whether a mother stayed in full-time work, according to the study published in Administrative Sciences.
Does the study apply to Indian workplaces?
The study does not cover Indian workplaces, where commuting, joint-family care and childcare access differ. It is a cross-sectional survey of US women, so it shows associations, not cause and effect.
Sourced and fact-checked by the Peepals Global Editorial Team
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Reported, fact-checked and published by the Peepals Global Editorial Team.
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