If employers want to attract the best workers, create more flexibility for family demands, says author of study.
Men and those without children also suffer if they feel their workplace culture is not family friendly
A new study led by CSUCI Assistant Prof of Sociology Lindsey Trimble O'Connor, Ph.D. and co-authored by University of Michigan Ass't Prof of Sociology Erin Cech, work-life balance is not an issue that concerns only female employees who are often mothers.
Lindsey Trimble O'Connor
Assistant Professor, Sociology
Education
Ph.D. Sociology, Washington State University, 2012
M.A. Sociology, Washington State University, 2008
B.A. Sociology and Psychology, Indiana University, Bloomington, 2004
Biography
Lindsey Trimble O’Connor joined the California State University Channel Islands as an Assistant Professor of Sociology in Fall of 2013. She teaches and conducts research on gender, work, and social networks.
O’Connor is interested in the effects of current workplace structures and cultures that proliferate the "ideal worker" norm—the norm suggesting that the best workers are available for work 24/7 and put in the most face time. She is particularly interested in identifying how the current rules of work disadvantage those who have caregiving responsibilities or need flexible work—in other words, people who do not fit the ideal worker model. For example, one study examines the deterrents to taking advantage of California’s Paid Leave program, which provides partial wage replacement to workers who take leave for caregiving responsibilities. Another study examines the effects of working in an environment in which it is widely known that taking leave or shifting one's work schedule will result in career penalties.
O’Connor’s second area of research, including her dissertation, centers on peoples’ use of social network contacts, like friends, family members, and acquaintances, to search for jobs. Specifically, she is interested in identifying the factors that affect whether people help with others' job searches and how this job search strategy can reproduce labor market inequality (like occupational sex segregation). She recently began a new research project with three CI students which examines whether referrals increase women's likelihood of receiving job offers in male-dominated fields.
Before joining CSUCI, O'Connor worked as a postdoctoral research fellow at the Michelle R. Clayman Institute for Gender Research at Stanford University. She earned her Ph.D. in Sociology from Washington State University in 2012.
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