Evolving Psychological Contracts for Women Across Life Stages and Career Paths: The Dynamic Equilibrium Framework for Hybrid Work Environments

Abstract

This viewpoint paper addresses a critical gap in psychological contract literature by proposing a comprehensive framework that recognizes how women's workplace expectations evolve across distinct life stages and career trajectories within contemporary hybrid work arrangements. The Dynamic Equilibrium Framework (DEF) emerges from synthesizing life-course perspectives with gendered workplace research and emerging work design principles. The framework operationalizes psychological contracts by integrating four life-stage dimensions with five equilibrium factors to create adaptive employment agreements. Traditional psychological contracts inadequately serve women's intersectional experiences across varied career stages. The Dynamic Equilibrium Framework reveals that women require contracts capable of continuously balancing five key considerations: autonomy-structure, growth-stability, individuality-collaboration, flexibility-accountability, and care-career progression throughout four distinct life phases. This research presents the first construction of a Dynamic Equilibrium Framework specifically addressing gendered psychological contracts, introducing the concept of "Equilibrium Contracting" as maintaining balance between competing demands across women's evolving life circumstances. While the framework requires empirical validation across multiple organizational contexts and industrial sectors, future research should pursue longitudinal applications and cross-cultural adaptations. Organizations can implement more effective retention and engagement strategies through equilibrium-based psychological contracts that adapt to women's changing life-stage needs while maintaining organizational objectives. By addressing the diverse experiences of women throughout their professional lifecycles, this framework contributes to advancing gender equity in workplace environments.