Hybrid working may be widening gender gap for parents, research suggests

Posted on Monday 27 April 2026

A new research programme, funded by the Nuffield Foundation, and led by Dr Naomi Finch at the University of York, in collaboration with charities Coram Family and Childcare and Working Families, will examine how families combine hybrid work with parental childcare and how this is balanced with formal and informal childcare. 

It will examine how different combinations of hybrid work and childcare lead to better work-life balance, wellbeing and health and how this varies by gender and circumstances. It will consult with employers, policymakers and childcare providers to explore how they can better support parents.

The findings are expected to inform both national and regional policy, as hybrid working continues to reshape family life across the UK.

Lockdowns

Working from home was widely enforced during lockdowns at the same time as childcare settings being closed. Since Covid, hybrid work, a combination of working from home and in the office has become the norm for many parents - often considered the “best of both worlds”. 

However, studies undertaken during Covid indicated that concerns remain that homeworking can blur the boundaries between paid employment and family life, increasing stress levels and presenting challenges to wellbeing even when combined with working in the office.

Researchers say these effects are more pronounced for mothers than fathers, reflecting long-standing inequalities in childcare responsibilities. While both parents spent more time caring for children during the pandemic, women continued to shoulder the greater share, often alongside full-time work.

Sacrifices

Even after nurseries, childminders and schools reopened, there has been indications of a fall in the use of formal childcare, particularly for school-aged children. Research suggests this may be linked to the rise of hybrid working, with parents choosing, or feeling compelled, to look after children themselves while working from home. 

This suggests that mothers may be undertaking care and paid work throughout the day, with likely sacrifices to leisure time and sleep.

In England, these trends are shaped by wider pressures, including rising living costs, high childcare fees and limited availability. Inflexible provision and a lack of awareness of financial support also likely prevent some families from accessing formal childcare.

Limited understanding

Dr Naomi Finch, from the University’s School for Business and Society, said: “For many parents, combining work with caring responsibilities may feel like the only viable option, even if it comes at a cost to their health and wellbeing or career progression. 

“Despite growing anecdotal evidence, there is still limited understanding of how families are managing hybrid work and childcare in the post-pandemic world, and which arrangements work best.”

Previous research at University of York, investigating hybrid working in a higher education environment, found that hybrid working brought unexpected benefits for men, including lower work-family conflict and improved wellbeing, but it had negative effects for women, particularly as the amount of remote working increased. 

Expectations

The research showed that women working hybridly were more likely to use hybrid work to meet both workplace expectations and caring responsibilities at the detriment to their wellbeing. 

By contrast, fathers working more hours at home than in the workplace had better wellbeing, with indications they used hybrid working to increase their involvement in childcare without extending their working hours.

The study suggested that hybrid working risks widening gender gaps unless it is normalised alongside wider family policies that challenge traditional gender roles and the “ideal worker” culture.

Critical time

The new project on hybrid work comes at a critical time, as many employers increase pressure on staff to return to offices full time, while political attention focuses on supporting working families.

The UK government has pledged greater flexibility for parents and expanded school-based nursery provision and free breakfast clubs. From 2025, funded childcare was also extended to working parents of children as young as nine months. 

The research will seek to understand whether these reforms better enable hybrid working parents to access childcare for pre-schoolers, but also whether challenges remain, especially for parents of primary school children. 

Dr Finch said: "It will be vital to understand how these measures influence parents’ decisions about work and care, and whether they reduce or reinforce existing inequalities.”