During the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of employees working remotely increased significantly, and this has largely continued even after the pandemic. Remote work affects gender equality in the labour market in both positive and negative ways, according to a new report from the Swedish Agency for Work Environment Expertise.
Remote Work and Gender Equality- A Double-Edged Sword
Remote work can both promote and counteract gender equality in the Swedish labour market, according to the report’s conclusions. More women than men increase their actual weekly working hours when working remotely, which may help reduce the gender gap in paid work. The possibility of working remotely gives women in particular – who are mos toften those taking the main responsibility for unpaid care work at home – greater opportunities to participate in the labour market. They also gain greater opportunities to find jobs that match their qualifications, which in turn can reduce income differences between women and men.
– Even though remote work seems to contribute to an increase in women’s working hours, our analyses show that many other factors influence women’s total working time, says Johan Stenmark, analyst at the Swedish Agency for Work Environment Expertise.
Risk of a new pitfall for women
At the same time, women take on greater responsibility for unpaid care work when working remotely, which risks reinforcing traditional gender norms and creating new barriers to career and salary development. Research shows that women working remotely are more likely than men to multitask between paid work and household responsibilities, leading to longer working days and less recovery time. Without clear frameworks and changing norms, remote work risks becoming a way of shifting even more care responsibility onto women, which in the long run may have a negative impact on wage progression.