scholarly journals Home, Sweet Home? The Impact of Working from Home on the Division of Unpaid Work during the COVID-19 Lockdown

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Judith Judith ◽  
Franziska Disslbacher ◽  
Vanessa Lechinger ◽  
Katharina Mader ◽  
Eva Six
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Judith Derndorfer ◽  
Franziska Disslbacher ◽  
Vanessa Lechinger ◽  
Katharina Mär ◽  
Eva Six

A lockdown implies a shift from the public to the private sphere, and from market to non-market production, thereby increasing the volume of unpaid work. Already before the pandemic, unpaid work was disproportionately borne by women. This paper studies the effect of working from home for pay (WFH), due to a lockdown, on the change in the division of housework and childcare within couple households. While previous studies on the effect of WFH on the reconciliation of work and family life and the division of labour within the household suffered from selection bias, we are able to identify this effect by drawing upon the shock of the first COVID-19 lockdown in Austria. The corresponding legal measures left little choice over WFH. In any case, WFH is exogenous, conditional on a small set of individual and household characteristics we control for. We employ data from a survey on the gendered aspects of the lockdown. The dataset includes detailed information on time use during the lockdown and on the quality and experience of WFH. Uniquely, this survey data also includes information on the division, and not only magnitude, of unpaid work within households. Austria is an interesting case in this respect as it is characterized by very conservative gender norms. The results reveal that the probability of men taking on a larger share of housework increases if men are WFH alone or together with their female partner. By contrast, the involvement of men in childcare increased only in the event that the female partner was not able to WFH. Overall, the burden of childcare, and particularly homeschooling, was disproportionately borne by women.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (11) ◽  
pp. e0259580
Author(s):  
Judith Derndorfer ◽  
Franziska Disslbacher ◽  
Vanessa Lechinger ◽  
Katharina Mader ◽  
Eva Six

A lockdown implies a shift from the public to the private sphere, and from market to non-market production, thereby increasing the volume of unpaid work. Already before the pandemic, unpaid work was disproportionately borne by women. This paper studies the effect of working from home for pay (WFH), due to a lockdown, on the change in the division of housework and childcare within couple households. While previous studies on the effect of WFH on the reconciliation of work and family life and the division of labour within the household suffered from selection bias, we are able to identify this effect by drawing upon the shock of the first COVID-19 lockdown in Austria. The corresponding legal measures left little choice over WFH. In any case, WFH is exogenous, conditional on a small set of individual and household characteristics we control for. We employ data from a survey on the gendered aspects of the lockdown. The dataset includes detailed information on time use during the lockdown and on the quality and experience of WFH. Uniquely, this survey data also includes information on the division, and not only magnitude, of unpaid work within households. Austria is an interesting case in this respect as it is characterized by very conservative gender norms. The results reveal that the probability of men taking on a larger share of housework increases if men are WFH alone or together with their female partner. By contrast, the involvement of men in childcare increased only in the event that the female partner was not able to WFH. Overall, the burden of childcare, and particularly homeschooling, was disproportionately borne by women.


2022 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fatima Safi ◽  
Anna M. Aniserowicz ◽  
Heather Colquhoun ◽  
Jill Stier ◽  
Behdin Nowrouzi-Kia

Abstract Background Eating disorders (ED) can reduce quality of life by limiting participation and performance in social and occupational roles, including paid or unpaid work. The association between ED pathologies and work participation and performance must be well understood to strengthen vocational rehabilitation programmes and prevent occupational disruptions in the ED population. The aims of this study are: (1) to examine the degree of association between ED pathologies and work participation and performance in 15-year-olds and older; (2) to highlight the specific ED symptoms that are most correlated with changes in work performance and participation; (3) to compile the most common metrics and assessments used to measure work participation and performance with ED. Methods Medline, Embase, CINAHL, Web of Science, PsycINFO, and Cochrane Library will be searched for observational and experimental studies that meet the following criteria: (1) a clinical sample of typical or atypical ED; (2) paid or unpaid employment or training; (3) an association between ED pathologies and work participation or performance. Unpublished data will also be examined. Title and abstract, and full-text screening will be conducted in duplicate. Risk of bias and quality of evidence assessments will be completed. A random-effect meta-analysis will be performed. Discussion This synthesis can clarify knowledge and gaps around the impact of ED on work functioning, thereby allowing better evaluation, improvements and development of current workplace assessments, interventions, and policies. Trial registration The registration number for this systematic review on PROSPERO is CRD42021255055.


2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Ernad Kahrović ◽  
Emina Kahrović

The goal of the paper is to point to the role and importance of organization design as a tool for strategy implementation, together with a dominant, role of technology in shaping the design. Namely, the development, of modern information and communication technology (ICT) is accompanied by the creation of new organizational forms, which enable the management, and employees to carry out, a significant, portion of work from home. The central focus of this paper is the impact, of technology on the creation of new forms of design, with a virtual organization taking up a particularly prominent, position. We underline the fact, that, among many changes that, the coronavirus pandemic has produced in everyday life, working from home can be considered as the most, drastic one; hence, its harmful effects are underscored, such as those relating to negative psychological effects, anxiety disorders, health issues, job loss, decreased efficiency and reduced satisfaction of the employees.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 48-63
Author(s):  
Asokan Vasudevan ◽  
◽  
Meerankumar Sivakumar ◽  
Rajani Balakrishnan ◽  
◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Sneha Shankar Shetty

This study is based on how does work from home impacts employee’s productivity in IT sector. The main aim of this particular study was to conduct an in depth research in order to understand the experiences of employees which they had while working from home and to understand whether there was any effect of working from home on employees productivity. Exploratory and Descriptive Research was conducted which was carried through questionnaire. This approach was taken in order to collect employee’s opinions and experiences and to observe if there were any trends emerged in relation to employee’s productivity while working from home. The study reveals that there is a significant impact of work from home on employee’s productivity level. Despite there were mixed opinions whether employees performance was low or high while working from home, however employees also shared their opinions on how their productivity levels be affected negatively if working from home was removed. Overall it was clear to observe the high level of positivity surrounding due to work from home and how it impacted positively not only on employee’s productivity but also on employee’s work life balance, job satisfaction, occupational stress and motivation of employees.


2017 ◽  
Vol 37 (3/4) ◽  
pp. 148-165 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Nollert ◽  
Martin Gasser

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to focus first on the development of the segregation of tasks in family and housework in Switzerland and its linkage to the gender time-use gap in unpaid work. In addition, the impact of dual-breadwinner support in policies and culture is examined. Design/methodology/approach The empirical test refers to a comparison of Swiss cantons, and is based on data from the Swiss Labour Force Survey. The analysis traces both the gender gap and segregation from 2000 to 2013, compares them between 25 Swiss cantons, and links them to political and cultural dual-breadwinner support. Findings First, the results suggest that both the gender time-use gap and task segregation in unpaid work decrease in Switzerland. Moreover, the gender gap and segregation do not correlate in the sample of Swiss cantons. Second, both the gender gap and segregation correlate with dual-breadwinner support. However, the political dual-breadwinner support is linked to lower segregation, a smaller gender gap, more male and less female housework, the dual-breadwinner culture promotes female housework and both men’s and women’s family time spent on childcare, without affecting the gender gap and segregation. Research limitations/implications The results, on the one hand, suggest that both the gender time-use gap and the segregation are important but analytically different dimensions of gender equity. On the other hand, the cross-cantonal analysis highlights the socio-political structuration of gender inequality. Originality/value The paper contains the first comparative analysis of the gender time-use gap and task segregation in Switzerland. The results underline the analytical distinction between the gender time-use gap and the task segregation in family and housework. Moreover, the cross-cantonal analysis suggests that the political dual-breadwinner support is an important determinant of the gender divide in unpaid work.


2007 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Arthur Tatnall

This issue of the Journal of Business Systems, Governance and Ethics has articles relating to business in Europe, Australia, Taiwan and Malaysia. It covers topics including the use of ICT by SMEs in Europe, Public Private Partnerships in Victoria, family support for expatriate members of multinational companies, financial reporting using the Internet, the impact of children on women’s and men’s paid and unpaid work, and leadership and ethnicity issues in public companies in Malaysia.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document