Does the 'right to request' flexible work policy influence men's and women's uptake of flexible working and well-being: findings from the UK Household Longitudinal Study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The 'right to request' flexible working policy has been gradually extended and, by 2014, extended to cover all workers with at least 26 weeks of continuous employment. The impact of these policy changes is unclear. This research aims to assess the effects of the 2014 policy reform on the uptake of flexible working and its impact on health and well-being, focusing on gender differences.

Methods

Data were drawn from waves 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 of the UK Household Longitudinal Study (2010-2020). We employed a doubly robust difference-in-differences method to estimate the average treatment effects on the treated of the 2014 policy reform. This analysis examined the effects on the uptake of flexible working, mental and physical health, and satisfaction with life, job and l

SUBMITTER: Xue B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12703338 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature