Parents with a disability have faced a 65% increase, the same jointly published data has highlighted, which was drawn from a poll of more than 5,000 women conducted by the charity Pregnant Then Screwed, and a weighted sample from a wider pool of people, analysed by representatives of the gender equity organisation Women in Data.
The data shows that 27.5% of single parents and 23.3% of parents with a disability have been refused flexible working, nearly double the national rate (14.2%).
As a result of refused flexible working requests, 10% of parents with a disability, 11% of parents of a disabled child, and 8% of single parents end up leaving work altogether, the data suggests.
“Too often, flexible working is treated as a concession rather than what it really is: a core part of building a modern, high-performing organisation,” noted Ronni Zehavi, CEO and co-founder of HR software firm HiBob.
Zehavi continued: “Letting people walk away, or disengage, because of inflexible working practices is a cost most organisations can’t afford.” He urged organisations to “make flexible autonomy part of how they operate, not an exception to it. That’s how you retain great people, drive performance, and build resilience for what’s next.”
Atif Choudhury, CEO and founder of inclusion consultancy Calling All Minds, agreed with Zehavi’s view; he said: “The organisations that will retain talent in the future are not the ones demanding people fit rigid systems, but the ones willing to redesign work around people, performance, and inclusion together.”
Clara Wilcox, founder of the Balance Collective, an organisation that supports parents, added: “It’s important to remember that there is a legal obligation to support parents and carers, especially if they are disabled; having open conversations during the flexible working request process can build trust and ensure that you are supporting your team.”
Agreeing with Wilcox’s point about employer’s legal obligation, Chris Jay, managing director, Bascule Disability Training. “In most cases, when a person with a disability requests flexible working, they are making a request for a reasonable adjustment. An unfair refusal could easily result in a discrimination claim.
“Similarly, a parent of a child with a disability may issue a request that might not automatically qualify as a reasonable adjustment, but they can still be protected under the Equality Act 2010. Even if the employee does not have a disability, the employer may be liable for discrimination by association if the employee’s job or career prospects within the company are harmed because of said association. This can result in tribunal cases, fines, and damage to the company’s reputation.”
The solution is to review flexible working request carefully, Jay urged: “Requests for flexibility deserve a careful and fair review,” he said. “They should be approached with greater understanding, awareness, empathy and openness.”
Overall, the jointly published research findings show that one in four single mothers, and one in five mothers who have a disability, have had their flexible working request denied. And six in 10 mothers reported that their workload stayed exactly the same, despite being granted flexible work arrangements.
Addressing the problem of unchanged workloads when working pattern changes are granted, Thomas Butcher, VP for strategic growth and key accounts for support provider Bright Horizons Work+Family Solutions. “Flexible working is often treated as the solution to caring pressures, but it only changes when and where people work. It doesn’t resolve the underlying disruptions that make work unsustainable in the first place.
“For HR, ensuring requests are assessed fairly is necessary, but not sufficient. When a single or disabled parent is refused flexibility, it’s partly because the organisation has no infrastructure to absorb care disruption in other ways, and so cannot see how the care need and employee performance can co-exit.
“The answer is to pair fair process with practical support: back-up care and eldercare benefits that mean employees aren’t solely dependent on flexibility to manage. When care is covered, flexibility requests reduce, and the pressure on managers to say yes or no diminishes too.”
