A groundbreaking study recently published in the International Journal of Management Reviews fundamentally challenges prevailing assumptions about women’s participation and progression in the workplace. Authored by Professor Toyin Adisa of the University of East London alongside colleagues, this research reveals a profoundly overlooked barrier to gender inclusion: the differential allocation of time driven by entrenched societal and organizational expectations. Moving beyond the familiar discourse of pay disparities and explicit bias, the study unearths the pervasive “time squeeze” that constrains women’s ability to compete equally in professional environments.
At the heart of the study is a rigorous systematic literature review encompassing 88 prior investigations, primarily situated within African organizations but with global implications. This meta-analysis elucidates how women often carry a “double workload,” balancing formal employment responsibilities with unpaid domestic and caregiving duties. This dual burden significantly reduces women’s discretionary time—a commodity critical for career-enhancing activities such as networking, skill acquisition, and heightened workplace visibility, which collectively influence upward mobility and recognition.
The researchers emphasize that this “hidden time gap” is an insidious form of inequality, operating silently beneath surface-level policies. While many institutions have embraced flexible working arrangements in response to calls for gender equity, these initiatives frequently fail to acknowledge the qualitative nature of time use and the persistent cultural expectations regarding women’s availability. As a result, flexibility alone cannot dismantle systemic barriers embedded in organizational norms that favor an “ideal worker” archetype—typically a person without external caregiving duties and with unrestricted time for work commitments.
The study situates the time constraint problem within a broader socio-cultural and historical frame. Women’s disproportionate unpaid labor is rooted in longstanding gender roles and societal expectations that persist across geographies, not least in African workplaces but extending globally. Through this lens, time inequality is not merely an individual or organizational challenge but a structural one, reflective of deeply ingrained cultural conceptions about gendered responsibilities and the relative valuation of care work.
Professor Adisa and colleagues identify five distinct mechanisms by which time shapes women’s workplace experiences. These range from the temporal demands of motherhood to culturally specific expectations around family care, compounded by organizational systems that often prioritize continuous availability and penalize breaks in employment or reduced hours. The cumulative effect is that women face a constrained opportunity landscape, with access to leadership roles and career development systematically narrowed by temporal limitations rather than lack of ambition or competence.
This nuanced understanding disrupts prevailing narratives that attribute women’s workplace underrepresentation to personal deficits. Instead, it redirects attention towards the fundamental need to reconceptualize work design and institutional structures. The research calls for transformative organizational practices that acknowledge and accommodate the realities of life outside work. Recommendations include enhanced childcare provisions, equitable task distribution, and redefining productivity metrics to recognize diverse working patterns and caregiving responsibilities.
Critically, the authors argue that conceptual and policy shifts must transcend superficial accommodations. Real inclusion requires dismantling the prevailing work culture premised on unlimited availability and constant output. This entails a societal revaluation of care work—integrating it into economic assessments and organizational planning. Without such systemic change, measures like flexible hours and parental leave will remain insufficient and risk perpetuating entrenched disparities.
Importantly, the study recognizes that achieving these goals is neither rapid nor straightforward. Deep-seated gender norms and labor division practices are resistant to change, often replicated through socialization and institutional inertia. Therefore, effective interventions must adopt a multifaceted approach, engaging policy-makers, employers, and communities to shift perceptions and practices regarding time use and gender roles comprehensively.
The implications of this research extend far beyond African workplaces, offering a critical lens for global organizations seeking genuine gender inclusion. As societies grapple with evolving workforce demographics and increasing demands for equity, acknowledging the dimension of time as a fundamental resource—and its unequal distribution—is vital. By aligning work structures with the lived realities of diverse employees, organizations can harness broader talent pools and foster sustainable, inclusive growth.
Professor Adisa’s incisive commentary encapsulates the study’s ethos: understanding women’s work participation through the prism of time is essential to dismantling systemic barriers. She stresses that recognizing unpaid labor as a second shift, hidden yet consequential, reframes the narrative from individual shortcomings to structural reform. This paradigm shift opens new avenues for research, policy, and practice aimed at reshaping the future of work around inclusivity and fairness.
In conclusion, this seminal research reframes gender inequality in the workplace from a temporal perspective, spotlighting how time—scarce and unevenly distributed—is a critical determinant of inclusion. By challenging entrenched notions of the “ideal worker” and highlighting the invisible labor underpinning women’s dual workloads, it presents a compelling case for profound organizational and societal reform. As the global workforce continues to evolve, integrating these insights will be pivotal in forging equitable, resilient work environments that acknowledge and valorize women’s full spectrum of contributions.
Subject of Research: Gendered impact of time on inclusion in African organizations
Article Title: The gendered impact of time on inclusion in African organizations: A systematic literature review
News Publication Date: 17-Mar-2026
Web References:
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ijmr.70020
References:
Ajonbadi, H. A., Adekoya, O. D., Mordi, C., Adisa, T. A. and Ologunoye, O. T. (2026), “The gendered impact of time on inclusion in African organizations: A systematic literature review”, International Journal of Management Reviews. DOI: 10.1111/ijmr.70020.
Keywords: gender inequality, time squeeze, workplace inclusion, unpaid care work, flexible working, organizational norms, ideal worker, career progression, systemic barriers, work-life balance, gender roles, African organizations
