Management Professor’s Research Reveals What Keeps Working Moms in Workforce

Research led by professor Jeanine Andreassi identifies the workplace policies that matter most for keeping mothers in full-time employment

Key Highlights

• Sacred Heart University management professor Jeanine Andreassi led a study examining which workplace flexibility policies most influence whether mothers remain in full-time employment after the birth or adoption of a child.
• The research was published in the peer-reviewed journal Administrative Sciences. 
• Researchers surveyed 213 working mothers across the United States who either remained in or left full-time employment after becoming parents.
• Working mothers who needed and actually used flexibility benefits were significantly more likely to stay employed full time.

Flexible schedules outperform remote work in retaining working mothers in full-time employment, according to a new study led by Sacred Heart University management professor Jeanine Andreassi. The findings offer employers new, data-driven guidance as organizations continue to rethink workplace flexibility while competing to recruit and retain talented employees.

The study, published in the peer-reviewed journal Administrative Sciences, found that schedule flexibility is the single strongest workplace policy influencing whether mothers remain in full-time employment after the birth or adoption of a child. 

The researchers surveyed 213 mothers across the United States who either remained in or left full-time jobs after the birth or adoption of a child. They compared six forms of workplace flexibility and found that schedule flexibility, career flexibility, and maternity leave were the strongest predictors of whether a mother stayed in full-time employment.

Co-authors include Angela Grotto of Montclair State University, Leanna Lawter of Wheaton College, Tuvana Rua of Quinnipiac University, and Cynthia Thompson of Baruch College. SHU’s Welch College of Business & Technology supported the research.

“Our findings suggest that giving working mothers greater control over when they work may be even more important than giving them flexibility over where they work,” Andreassi said.

The research challenges a widely held assumption that remote work is the most valuable flexibility benefit for working mothers. While location flexibility has become increasingly common since the COVID-19 pandemic, the study found it ranked near the bottom of retention predictors, accounting for less than 6% of the explained variance in mothers’ decisions to stay in their jobs. By comparison, schedule flexibility accounted for nearly 30%, suggesting that control over work hours has a greater impact on retention than the ability to work remotely.

The study also found that offering flexibility policies is not sufficient on its own. Working mothers who both needed and used flexibility benefits were significantly more likely to remain employed full-time. The findings point to a critical implementation gap: organizations would benefit from creating workplace cultures where employees feel supported in using the benefits available to them.

“Simply offering flexibility policies isn’t enough,” Andreassi added. “When senior leaders visibly model and support work-life balance, working mothers are more likely to use the flexibility they need, and more likely to stay.”

Andreassi said the findings suggest employers should think beyond simply offering flexible work arrangements and instead focus on creating cultures that encourage employees to take advantage of them without fear of negative career consequences.

Senior leadership plays a meaningful role in this process. The research found that when employees perceived strong work-life support from top management, they were more likely to use schedule and location flexibility, which, in turn, increased retention.

“Organizations have invested heavily in workplace flexibility over the past several years, but our research suggests that when flexibility is offered can matter more than where flexibility is offered,” Andreassi said. “Employers who want to retain talented working mothers should prioritize giving people greater control over their schedules and ensure leaders actively support employees in using those benefits.”

The findings carry practical implications for organizations across industries competing for talent in a labor market where caregiving demands continue to push women out of the workforce at higher rates than men.

The research provides employers with evidence-based guidance for improving employee retention while creating more supportive workplaces for working parents. Read the full article in Administrative Sciences.