Return-to-Office (RTO) Mandates Aren’t Gender Neutral

When employers roll out return-to-office (RTO) mandates, the assumption is often that the impact will be felt equally across the workforce. But research and lived experience suggest otherwise.

What the Research Shows

Nobel laureate and Harvard economic historian Claudia Goldin has shown that:

✅ Flexibility narrows the gender wage gap.

❌ Inflexibility—what she calls “greedy jobs”—widens it.

Why? In heterosexual couples, families often maximize income by having one partner take on the higher-paying but inflexible role while the other assumes the more flexible, lower-paid job. Cultural gender norms mean that men are more likely to take the former, and women the latter.

Risks of Inflexibility Under RTO Mandates

By removing flexibility, RTO mandates risk exacerbating existing inequalities. Warning signs may include gender disparities in:

❌ Absenteeism

❌ Promotion rates

❌ Resignations

❌ Childcare accommodation requests

❌ Reduced hours

And while Goldin’s research highlights heterosexual couples, the impacts don’t end there. RTO mandates also disproportionately affect:

• Gender-diverse employees

• Employees with caregiving responsibilities

• Employees with disabilities

• Other workers with intersecting human rights grounds

How Participatory Gender Audits (PGAs) Help

This is where Participatory Gender Audits (PGAs) come in. PGAs support employers in spotting problems early, before they turn into resignations, grievances, or human rights complaints. They combine both data and employee voices by:

• 📄 Reviewing gender-disaggregated data (e.g., absenteeism, turnover, promotions, accommodations)

• 👂 Listening directly to employees through anonymized surveys, interviews, and focus groups

• 🔍 Surfacing risks and trends that may otherwise stay hidden in day-to-day operations

A Practical Example

Suppose data shows women are more likely than men to receive childcare accommodations. Interviews then reveal that some managers have declined valid accommodation requests on the presumption that the accommodation process is being abused to avoid the RTO mandate. A PGA would catch this pattern, and leadership could then implement clear policies, communications, and training to ensure all employees feel safe requesting accommodations—without penalty.

The Bottom Line

If your organization is implementing or refining an RTO mandate, a Participatory Gender Audit can give you the insights and strategy you need to prevent unintended impacts on equity, retention, and compliance.

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