Flexible work as an opportunity and risk for the careers of women with care responsibilities

Flexibility of work in terms of time and place is often discussed in organizations in the context of higher participation and inclusion for women with care responsibilities for better career management. This paper presents manifold interdependencies between work and career as well as the associated inclusion and exclusion mechanisms especially for women with care responsibilities. It is based on a qualitative study on mobile working for administrative staff in a university. Different models of mobile working can be used to show the impact of different organizational frameworks on the social participation of women with children and their individual career constructions. On the one hand, mobile working as a flexible work design measure enables more participation and empowerment, if the framework conditions are appropriate. On the other hand, increasing internal organizational regulations and digital control restrict freedom and self-determination. At the same time, flexibility measures can also lead to a backlash with regard to traditional gender roles - also with corresponding career consequences. Overall, it is evident that several factors determine careers. The study focuses on the contextual conditions for careers, the visibility of work and the mobile worker, as well as social networks as career drivers, trust in the team and leadership as a form of visibility.