The Trad Wife Trap, Ideal Worker Myth and Flexibility Paradox: Professor Heejung Chung | Shifting the Needle Podcast

Professor Heejung Chung joins Geraldine on Shifting the Needle to talk about gender equality, trad wives and the future of work. 

Why Flexible Working Isn’t Enough: Professor Heejung Chung on Gender Equality, Trad Wives and the Future of Work

A conversation on the Shifting the Needle podcast with Geraldine Gallacher, Chair and Founder of The Executive Coaching Consultancy

Professor Heejung Chung is a Professor of Work and Employment at King’s College London and Director of the King’s Global Institute for Women’s Leadership. She is the author of The Flexibility Paradox and has run an annual International Women’s Day survey with Ipsos since 2017, tracking attitudes to feminism and equality across 30 countries. She also admits she once wanted to be a stand-up comedian, which made her a lively guest for Geraldine!

What is the flexibility paradox?

The flexibility paradox is the finding that flexible workers often work longer and harder, not less. Professor Heejung Chung, Professor of Work and Employment at King’s College London and author of The Flexibility Paradox, tracked individuals over time across Europe. She found that flexible working frequently leads to extended hours and, in many cases, worse wellbeing. Speaking with Geraldine Gallacher, Professor Heejung Chung explained that for women, flexibility can also stretch unpaid hours of housework and childcare, which risks widening gender inequality.

Why does the motherhood penalty persist?

Professor Heejung Chung points to institutional and cultural causes. Parental leave systems assume mothers will be the main carers, and employers often see fathers only as breadwinners. The result is a “fatherhood bonus” alongside the motherhood penalty. Geraldine Gallacher added that well-meant “benevolent bias”, such as assuming a new mother won’t want a big international trip, can quietly close off career-defining opportunities.

Are young women really choosing to be trad wives?

According to Chung, the data says no. Her team’s surveys found no mass rush of young women rejecting feminism. Instead, she argues, young women feel boxed into two options, the exhausted “girl boss” or the “trad wife”, because the labour market was built for a male breadwinner with a wife at home. Geraldine and Heejung agreed that choice isn’t truly free while structural inequalities remain.

What is the “ideal worker” myth?

The ideal worker is someone who puts work above everything else, as though someone at home handles the rest. Heejung argues the evidence shows this isn’t a productive model, and that digital presenteeism, such as rewarding whoever is always online, penalises women in particular.

What can organisations do?

Heejung recommends equal, fully paid parental leave, genuine autonomy over when and where people work, output-based evaluation and policies that support everyone’s caring responsibilities. She also champions caring masculinity and makes the case for a four-day week. Geraldine closed by highlighting how gender equality is about all genders, not only women.

Listen to the full episode

Hear the full conversation on Shifting the Needle.