The transition to motherhood and part-time working: mutuality and incongruence in the psychological contracts existing between managers and employees

Abstract

In this article, the psychological contract existing between line managers and employees is examined in the context of the transition to motherhood and reduced hours or part-time working. The article argues that professional work norms, including working long hours and being ever-available, operate to legitimise the reduction in career development opportunities that accompanies the transition from full to part-time work in professionalised occupations. On one level, therefore, these norms generate mutuality between managers and employees. When combined with demands of motherhood, however, they fundamentally influence how each party interprets their obligations to each other, generating incongruity and, potentially, a breach of the psychological contract. These arguments are illustrated with the use of case study data collected from part-time police officers and their managers in three UK police forces. The theoretical and practical implications of this analysis are developed and discussed.