However, I just want to draw our ire to one more finding from the study. The reasons for the "flextime" and "flexplace" requests varied. In some cases, the workers said they wanted the afternoons to “take care of my daughter after school.” Others, though, said they wanted to leave early to “train for the California Classic Cycling Challenge," or to work from home so they could "lessen my impact on the environment.”

It turns out that both men and women whose reason for the request was childcare-related, as opposed to either exercise- or environment-related, were more supported in their requests, more respected, and seen as marginally more committed to their work and worthier of promotions.

Among those who read a scenario in which an employee asked to work from home two days a week for childcare related reasons, 63.5 percent of the respondents said they would be "likely" or "very likely" to grant the request. However, only 40.7 percent of those who read a scenario in which an employee asked to work from home two days a week to reduce his or her commute time and carbon footprint said they would be "likely" or "very likely" to grant the request.

The effect was especially pronounced for men. The women were judged similarly regardless of the reason they gave for working from home. Meanwhile, the subjects were significantly more likely to approve of the men who were motivated by family obligations rather than personal issues.

"In other words, it appears that the significant interaction between gender and

childcare points to a substantial fatherhood bonus rather than a motherhood penalty," Munsch writes in the paper.

One possible explanation, Munsch points out, is that mothers tend to perform "labor-intensive, time-sensitive tasks at home," like cleaning or helping with homework, while fathers do "passive tasks." The study subjects might have assumed that the fathers would just plop the kids in front of SpongeBob and jump on a conference call. In other words, they'd be better able to fulfill their work commitments while home with the kids.

* * *

It's tough to know what to make of all this. As a natalist who supports both gender equality and the continuation of the human race, I'm glad the study subjects understood the necessity of childcare-friendly work arrangements. It's also heartening that they thought it was important for fathers to pitch in at home.

But as a childless homebody who hates riding the metro, I find it alarming that people asking to work from home for non-childcare, personal reasons were at a disadvantage. The people reading the transcripts weren't even the workers' actual bosses! Imagine what someone with real money on the line would do in their shoes.

With modern technology, there is almost no white-collar work task that can't be done from home. People hate being in open-plan offices, which some research shows kill productivity anyway. Calls for a shorter workweek for everyone are growing increasingly vociferous. There should be ways for both parents and non-parents to negotiate for such things without fearing a backlash.

It's a little ridiculous that in 2014, having a kid makes one seem worthier of working flexible hours or from home. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a Cycling Challenge to train for.