The solution to the gender gap is to fundamentally change how work is done. I'm glad it was that simple.
If an employer is trying to attract the best employees, this could be a major competitive advantage. Google can offer superior compensation, but they likely will not be able to offer this due to institutional inertia, people who believe in and are invested in the current system.
No employer, especially a startup, has to follow conventional wisdom on how to run a workplace. They could decide to upend things next week if they wanted to.
In my situation, I struggled for years with attendance because my spouse had a seemingly impossible time getting up on a consistent basis to take care of the kids so i can go to work... lots of fights ensued, a even lost a couple of jobs to it (though the employers were mostly kind, and my managers appreciated the situation, but the strict rules of the company basically meant i had to leave)
Turns out, my wife has an actual sleeping disorder (DSPD[1]), and my new position, when I came to my managers about it, they worked with me. I work from home now every morning until about noon when I head into the office. If there is a meeting that I need to be in physically in the morning, than I still go in (waking up "early" once in a while is fine, the problem in the past was basically waking up early every day for years) ... it works out for everyone, I end up putting more work in (instead of sitting around for 3 hours before work when i woke up at 6am, now i am working at 6:30 ... then i go in at 12, and work till 5). I'm gladly putting in that extra time, too... as a sort of appreciation for what they are helping me with. It also drives loyalty, and I'm very loyal to both the company AND my managers for working with me. There is literally no downside to the arrangement from anyone's point of view... and it all comes from just being flexible.
1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delayed_sleep_phase_disorder
WHEN someone works isn't a fundamental issue. IF we're talking retail, thats an obvious exception. If we're talking a job where the employee isnt directly contacting customers, then the time they work is largely less important. The most efficient team I've worked on in my career was made up from people around the world, there were 9 of us, everyone single one was in a different timezone, some 12 hours off from each other... and we got more done as a team than any Team I've been on before or sense... and it was largely due to the nature of our hours... we had to make sure we buttoned our shit up, we documented it well, we communicated VERY efficiently and effectively... etc.
I know it doesn't work for every position at every company, no single thing does, but to consider 9-5 (or any set schedule in particular) "fundamental" to business is short-sided at best...
The only job I can think of that won't get mostly automated away are either jobs that require either/both lots of creative talent (such as a highly skilled engineer, artist, etc) or require an actual onsite presence (contractor, building inspector, pest control.)
What about those, if you're not interacting with the customer, requires a certain time? A repairman can work any time if hes not dealing with the customer - as long as the job is done on time. The same for all of these.
Most of the things you listed are customer facing... which is why they have timeframes, so you can interact with the customer (or have access, etc).
A truck driver can arrive whenever they want provided there are staff ready to unload when they arrive.
An uncoordinated house build can take 2-3x as long due to trades waiting on each other. Etc.
Well, two things. First, the article mentions having to be in a certain place at a certain time. You're just addressing the time component. Most jobs still need you to actually be there, such as trades and long haul trucking. (long haul trucking is the most common job in the united states http://www.npr.org/sections/money/2015/02/05/382664837/map-t...)
> Most of the things you listed are customer facing
I don't know what your definition of customer facing is. Long haul trucking certainly isn't, and if you're a welder, you don't actually have to see the customer. In fact, you usually talk to your account manager who dispatches you out to customer sites.
> as long as the job is done on time
No man is an island. Most of the time, you're part of a long chain of dependencies to get things done.
If you're part of a team, you have to show up when they show up. You also have hard deadlines in order to unblock the people downstream for you. If the framing isn't done on schedule for a house, the electrical can't go in, and if the electrical isn't in, the drywall can't go in. You can't just "make up time" on the weekends.
There are trade-offs that have to be made to work remotely or to have less face-to-face interaction with your teammates than others. In many cases these negatively impact your ability to move up, to succeed or to function well with a team. This is of course not true for every role or company, but it's true for many.