Background
Gender equality in the labour market has long been a central social policy issue. The COVID -19 pandemic brought major changes to the labour market, not least through the widespread shift to remote work for organizations and individuals who had the possibility to do so. Even after the pandemic, many employees have chosen and been given the opportunity to continue working remotely. Naturally, this radical change raises questions about how gender equality in working life is affected.
The results are presented in a quantitative study and a knowledge compilation.
Literature review
By summarizing, analyzing, and presenting existing research in the field, the study addresses its main research questions:
- How do the conditions for remote work differ between women and men in the labour market after the pandemic?
- How does remote work after the pandemic affect
a) career and salarydevelopment,
b) productivity, and
c) the possibility of a sustainable work-life balance, from a gender equality perspective?
Analysis Report
The analysis report examines whether increased remote work has reduced the gender gap in weekly working hours between women and men and whether any potential effects are particularly pronounced among parents of young children. The analyses are based on data from Statistics Sweden’s (SCB) Labor Force Surveys (LFS) for the period 2016–2024 and include employed women and men aged 20–64. Both cross-sectional and longitudinal (panel) data are used to identify potential correlations and causal relationships.
Both the literature review and the analysis report can be downloaded from this page.
Results
At an overall level, it is concluded that the relationship between gender equality and remote work is complex—remote workmay promote equality in some respects while counteracting it in others.
On average, employees who work remotely spend more hours working each week than those who do not. The association is somewhat stronger for women, particularly mothers. However, casual links are weak and selection effects have a substantial impact on the results.
Knowledge Compilation
The possibility of working remotely gives women in particular—since they are most often those who take responsibility for unpaid care work at home—greater opportunities to participate in the labor market. They also gain greater opportunities to find jobs that match their qualifications, which in turn may reduce income differences between women and men.
At the same time, stereotypical gender norms negatively affect career and salary development, especially since women more often choose remote work. Reduced social interaction and knowledge transfer can also hinder career advancement. Women also tend to multitask more when working remotely, leading to longer working days and less recovery time. The normalisation of remote work as a way (mainly for women) to balance paid and unpaid work risks reinforcing norms of overwork.
Authors
The knowledge compilation was written by Lena Grip, Associate Professor of Human Geography, Department of Geography, Media and Communication at Karlstad University, and Ulrika Åkerlund, PhD in Human Geography, Department of Geography, Media and Communication at Karlstad University.
The analysis report was written by Karin Halldén, Associate Professor at the Swedish Institute for Social Research, Stockholm University.
Knowledge Gaps
Long-term effects remain unclear, and there is a lack of systematic and longitudinal studies on the extent, spatial and sectoral distribution of remote work, and the factors influencing who has the opportunity to work remotely. Intersectional perspectives (class, ethnicity, sexuality) are also lacking. Furthermore, it is important to study whether women continue to be overrepresented among remote workers and whether the effects of remote work differ in terms of, for example, career development, wage progression, and health for women and men.