The Master Narrative of Prioritized Parenthood: Bifurcated Identities and Doxastic Damage in the Postpandemic Workplace

Abstract

Women's work experiences during COVID-19 illuminated or exacerbated existing organizational divides between mothers and childfree employees as presumptions related to time management, differences in access to resources, and implicit organizational expectations became more visible. Using the lens of master narratives, we explore how women's parental or childfree status affected their perception of their relationship to work post-COVID-19. Using semi-structured interviews with 21 women who worked throughout COVID-19 and beyond, we argue a master narrative of prioritized parenthood influenced participants' work experience, serving as both an organizational and social barrier to women and childfree employees alike. Participant stories reveal how the bifurcation of their status as “parent” or “child-free” functions as a form of organizational violence, structuring behavioral expectations and (de)legitimizing some identities over others. The authors note that participants communicated a desire for employee-defined flexibility for women in the workplace, regardless of parental status.