“‘Work- family backlash’ is the popular term describing childless employees’ claim that they are penalized in the workplace in the following ways. They are expected to work additional hours and to fill in for parents whose child care responsibilities require them to leave work. They subsidize parental benefits such as dependent health care, insurance, and, at some companies, child care. While they may have equal access to elder care benefits, they may not qualify for other worklife programs such as flexible work arrangements or unpaid leaves” (Young, 1999, pp. 35-36).
“Although these types of benefits appear popular, anecdotal reports have indicated that some employees believe that work/family benefits are inequitable and even discriminatory. This resentment among some employees has been referred to as ‘family-friendly backlash’” (Parker & Allen, 2001, pp. 453-454).