Has the COVID-19 pandemic changed gender- and parental-status-specific differences in working from home? Panel evidence from Germany.

Has COVID-19 changed gender- and parental-status-specific differences in working from home? To answer this question, we used data from the Institute for Employment Research High-Frequency Online Personal Panel collected in Germany in the early stages of the pandemic (May-August 2020). Regression analyses revealed changes in pre-pandemic gender- and parental-status-specific differences in remote working-not only when strict social distancing measures were in place, but also after they were lifted: Fathers were no longer more likely than childless men and women to work remotely, and women were no longer more likely than men to work more hours from home when using this arrangement. Further, the results suggest that cultural barriers in organizations to working from home-which were especially prevalent for mothers before the pandemic-have decreased.

[Flexibility in working time and place of work: Old gender inequalities and new patterns of division of labor through digital transformations].

This paper follows the question to what extent the compatibility of work and family life and gender inequalities in the domestic division of labour change when working with digital technologies in a flexible manner in terms of time and place. It is based on the results of the research project "Changing gender relations through digital transformation" (Hans Böckler Foundation). Various effects have been observed: For example, mobile working and home office enable part-time workers to increase their contractual working hours; flexible digital work provides emotional and time relief in the event of spontaneous emergencies such as child illness; however, the extent of invisible and unpaid overtime is also increasing.