Career success of fathers and mothers: the impact of motherhood ideology, work-home culture, and work-home arrangements

M.L. van Engen, J.S.E. Dikkers, Q. Vinkenburg and P. de Rooy, Gedrag & Organisatie, volume 22, June 2009, nr. 2, pp. 146-171 Despite the increased labor force participation of Dutch women, their career progression still lags behind that of men. Differences in career success of men and women are often attributed to their different family roles and responsibilities. In this study we examined the relationships between motherhood ideology, work-home culture, and the utilization of different flexible and care-related arrangements. Next, we look at the relationship between these factors and extrinsic (objective) and intrinsic (subjective) career success of parents. Two-hundred-and-fourteen Dutch working parents filled out a questionnaire. We found that a less traditional motherhood ideology and a supportive work-home culture have a positive relationship with parents' utilization of work-home arrangements. Mothers with a traditional motherhood ideology who used care-related arrangements are more extrinsically successful than mothers with a less traditional ideology. Intrinsic career success is higher for mothers who use flexible arrangements than for mothers who do not.