Family-supportive manager and perceived pregnancy discrimination: psychological contract breach and trust as mediators of remote working mothers’ turnover intentions
- 1Department of M.A. in Organizational Development and Consulting, The Max Stern Yezreel Valley College, Yezreel Valley, Israel
- 2Department of Economics and Management and Department of Human Services, The Max Stern Yezreel Valley College, Yezreel Valley, Israel
- 3Department of Human Services and Department of Social Work, The Max Stern Yezreel Valley College, Yezreel Valley, Israel
Abstract
Introduction: The potential impact of remote work on the continuity of women’s careers may be contingent upon managerial attitudes and organizational norms. However, research on pregnant employees and those on post maternity-leave who work remotely has been limited. The present study proposes an integrative model examining the indirect associations of family-supportive manager and perceived pregnancy discrimination with turnover intentions through two mediators: psychological contract breach and organizational trust.
Method: We conducted an online survey in two waves, with 406 women either pregnant or on post maternity-leave who worked remotely or in a hybrid arrangement.
Findings: The results show that psychological contract breach mediated the relationship between family-supportive manager and organizational trust (indirect = 0.08, p < 0.05). Similarly, psychological contract breach mediated the relationship between perceived pregnancy discrimination and organizational trust (indirect = −0.19, p < 0.001). Organizational trust mediated the effect of psychological contract breach on turnover intentions (indirect = 0.11, p < 0.01), although the mediation was complementary to the direct effect rather than complete. A complete indirect effect of a family-supportive manager on turnover intentions was found through the combined mediation of psychological contract breach and organizational trust (indirect = −0.07, p < 0.01; indirect = −0.08, p < 0.01; indirect = −0.02, p < 0.01; respectively) and of perceived pregnancy discrimination on turnover intentions through the combined mediation of psychological contract breach and organizational trust (indirect = −0.05, p < 0.01; indirect = 0.16, p < 0.001, respectively).
Discussion: Theoretically, this study generates new theoretical insights by synthesizing the theories of gendered organizations and work-family boundary. The study offers preliminary insights into the relationship between family-supportive manager and perceived pregnancy discrimination with the psychological contract breach that may result. The study extends previous research on turnover intentions by examining indirect associations linking family-supportive manager and perceived pregnancy discrimination to turnover intentions through psychological contract breach and organizational trust. Practically, this study suggests that family-friendly policies may be effective if, in parallel, organizations redefine their work relations to create a supportive work environment for pregnant and post maternity-leave employees.
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BibTeX
@article{kidron2026familysupportive,
title = {{Family-supportive manager and perceived pregnancy discrimination: psychological contract breach and trust as mediators of remote working mothers’ turnover intentions}},
author = {Aviv Kidron and Neta Cohen and Michal Gross},
journal = {Frontiers in Psychology},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1953215},
url = {https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1953215},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Family-supportive manager and perceived pregnancy discrimination: psychological contract breach and trust as mediators of remote working mothers’ turnover intentions
AU - Aviv Kidron
AU - Neta Cohen
AU - Michal Gross
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/13
JO - Frontiers in Psychology
DO - 10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1953215
UR - https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1953215
AB - Introduction: The potential impact of remote work on the continuity of women’s careers may be contingent upon managerial attitudes and organizational norms. However, research on pregnant employees and those on post maternity-leave who work remotely has been limited. The present study proposes an integrative model examining the indirect associations of family-supportive manager and perceived pregnancy discrimination with turnover intentions through two mediators: psychological contract breach and organizational trust. Method: We conducted an online survey in two waves, with 406 women either pregnant or on post maternity-leave who worked remotely or in a hybrid arrangement. Findings: The results show that psychological contract breach mediated the relationship between family-supportive manager and organizational trust (indirect = 0.08, p < 0.05). Similarly, psychological contract breach mediated the relationship between perceived pregnancy discrimination and organizational trust (indirect = −0.19, p < 0.001). Organizational trust mediated the effect of psychological contract breach on turnover intentions (indirect = 0.11, p < 0.01), although the mediation was complementary to the direct effect rather than complete. A complete indirect effect of a family-supportive manager on turnover intentions was found through the combined mediation of psychological contract breach and organizational trust (indirect = −0.07, p < 0.01; indirect = −0.08, p < 0.01; indirect = −0.02, p < 0.01; respectively) and of perceived pregnancy discrimination on turnover intentions through the combined mediation of psychological contract breach and organizational trust (indirect = −0.05, p < 0.01; indirect = 0.16, p < 0.001, respectively). Discussion: Theoretically, this study generates new theoretical insights by synthesizing the theories of gendered organizations and work-family boundary. The study offers preliminary insights into the relationship between family-supportive manager and perceived pregnancy discrimination with the psychological contract breach that may result. The study extends previous research on turnover intentions by examining indirect associations linking family-supportive manager and perceived pregnancy discrimination to turnover intentions through psychological contract breach and organizational trust. Practically, this study suggests that family-friendly policies may be effective if, in parallel, organizations redefine their work relations to create a supportive work environment for pregnant and post maternity-leave employees.
SN - 1664-1078
ER -