Remote Work, the Balance Between Times of Living, and the Lockdown: Call for a Gender Perspective

Journal title SOCIOLOGIA DEL LAVORO
Author/s Anne-Iris Romens
Publishing Year 2021 Issue 2021/160 Language Italian
Pages 20 P. 224-243 File size 244 KB
DOI 10.3280/SL2021-160011
DOI is like a bar code for intellectual property: to have more infomation click here

Below, you can see the article first page

If you want to buy this article in PDF format, you can do it, following the instructions to buy download credits

Article preview

FrancoAngeli is member of Publishers International Linking Association, Inc (PILA), a not-for-profit association which run the CrossRef service enabling links to and from online scholarly content.

A growing number of publications in Italian are focusing on remote work, especial-ly after the lockdown forced thousands of workers to perform their jobs away from their office. However, there is little research in Italian that approaches the topic from a gender perspective. Through its literature review, the contribution challenges the idea that remote work improves the balance between different times of living and reduces gender inequalities. The article argues that it is neces-sary to contextualize remote work, because in asymmetrical gender regimes such as in Italy, this modality can deepen the traditional gender division of labour. The contribution revisits the notions used in the literature to refer to remote work and work-life balance from a gender perspective. Thereafter, it studies and contextual-izes the impact that remote work has on the balance between times of living. Final-ly, the conclusion identifies areas in which further research is needed.

Keywords: Work-Life Balance, Care, Gender, Smart Working, Remote Work, Covid-19

  1. Adam B. (1998). Timescapes of Modernity: The Environment & Invisible Hazards. Londra: Routledge.
  2. Adams-Prassl A., Boneva T., Golin M., Rauh C. (2020). Inequality in the Impact of the Coronavirus Shock: Evidence from Real-Time Surveys. IZA Discussion Papers, 13183. -- Testo disponibile al sito: www.iza.org/publications/dp/13183/inequality-in-the-impact-of-the-coronavirus-shock-evidence-from-real-time-surveys (21/1/2021).
  3. Albano R., Bertolini S., Curzi Y., Fabbri T., Parisi T. (2017). DigitAgile: l’ufficio nel dispositivo mobile. Opportunità e rischi per lavoratori e aziende. Osservatorio MU.S.I.C. Working Paper Series, 3. -- Testo disponibile al sito: www.ojs.unito.it/index.php/music/article/view/2226 (21/1/2021).
  4. Albano R., Parisi T., Tirabeni L. (2019). Gli smart workers tra solitudine e collaborazione. Cambio, 9(17): 61-73.
  5. Alberti G., Sacchetto D., Vianello F.A. (2017). Spazio e tempo nei processi produttivi e riproduttivi. Sociologia del lavoro, 146: 7-23. DOI: 10.3280/SL2017-146001
  6. Alon T.M., Doepke M., Olmstead-Rumsey J., Tertilt M. (2020). The impact of COVID-19 on gender equality. National Bureau of Economic Research, w26947. -- Testo disponibile al sito: www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w26947/w26947.pdf (21/1/2021).
  7. Angelici M., Profeta P. (2020). Smart-working: Work flexibility without constraints. CESifo Working Paper Series 8165. -- Testo disponibile al sito: www.cesifo.org/DocDL/cesifo1_wp8165.pdf (17/8/2020).
  8. Arntz M., Yahmed S.B., Berlingieri F. (2020). Working from Home and Covid-19: The Chances and Risks for Gender Gaps. ZEW Expert Brief, 20-09. -- Testo disponibile al sito: www.zew.de/fileadmin/FTP/ZEWKurzexpertisen/EN/ZEW_Shortreport2009.pdf (20/8/2020).
  9. Balbo L. (1978). La doppia presenza. Inchiesta, 32(8): 3-11.
  10. Bettio F., Simonazzi A., Villa P. (2006). Change in care regimes and female migration and public policy. Journal of European Social Policy, 16(3): 271-285. DOI: 10.1177/095892870606559
  11. Bini S. (2020). Lo smart working al tempo del coronavirus. Giustizia civile.com. -- Testo disponibile al sito: http://giustiziacivile.com/lavoro/articoli/lo-smart-working-al-tempo-del-coronavirus-brevi-osservazioni-stato-di-emergenza (21/1/2020).
  12. Boell S., Cecez‐Kecmanovic D., Campbell J. (2016). Telework paradoxes and practices: the importance of the nature of work. New Technology, Work & Employment, 31(2): 114-131.
  13. Bonacini L., Gallo G., Scicchitano S. (2020). Gli effetti indesiderabili dello smart working sulla disuguaglianza dei redditi in Italia. Policy Brief - INAPP, 20. -- Testo disponibile al sito: http://oa.inapp.org/handle/123456789/714 (17/8/2020).
  14. Bonizzoni P. (2014). Immigrant Working Mothers. Reconciling Work and Childcare: the experience of Latin American and Eastern European Women in Milan. Social Politics, 21 (2): 194-217.
  15. Butera F. (2020). Le condizioni organizzative e professionali dello smart working dopo l’emergenza: progettare il lavoro ubiquo fatto di ruoli aperti e di professioni a larga banda. Studi organizzativi, 1: 141-165. DOI: 10.3280/SO2020-001006
  16. Cetrulo A., Guarascio D., Virgillito M.E. (2020). The privilege of working from home at the time of social distancing. Intereconomics, 55: 142-147.
  17. Chiaro G., Prati G., Zocca M. (2015). Smart working: dal lavoro flessibile al lavoro agile. Sociologia del lavoro. 138(2): 69-87. DOI: 10.3280/SL2015-138005
  18. Collins C., Landivar L.C., Ruppanner L., Scarborough W. (2020). COVID‐19 and the gender gap in work hours. Gender, Work, & Organization, 1-12.
  19. De Vita L. (2019). La conciliazione dei tempi di vita e di lavoro per i nuovi professionisti: alcune evidenze empiriche. Sociologia e ricerca sociale, 120: 161-181. DOI: 10.3280/SR2019-12000
  20. Del Boca D., Oggero N., Profeta P., Rossi M. (2020). Women’s Work, Housework and Childcare, before and during Covid-19. IZA Discussion Paper, 13409. -- Testo disponibile al sito: ssrn.com/abstract=3636638 (20/8/2020).
  21. Donnelly R., Johns J. (2020). Recontextualising remote working and its HRM in the digital economy: An integrated framework for theory and practice. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 1-22. DOI: 10.1080/09585192.2020.173783
  22. Dotti Sani G. (2012). La divisione del lavoro domestico e delle attività di cura nelle coppie italiane: un’analisi empirica. Stato e mercato, 32(1): 161-194. DOI: 10.1425/3676
  23. Elson D. (2017). Recognize, reduce, and redistribute unpaid care work: how to close the gender gap. New Labor Forum, 26(2): 52-61. DOI: 10.1177%2F1095796017700135
  24. Farré L., Fawaz Y., González L., Graves J. (2020). How the Covid-19 lockdown affected gender inequality in paid and unpaid work in Spain. IZA Discussion Paper, 13434. -- Testo disponibile al sito: ssrn.com/abstract=3643198 (20/8/2020).
  25. Glucksmann M. (2000). Cottons and Casuals: The Gendered Organisation of Labour in Time and Space. Durham: Sociology Press.
  26. Hennekam S., Shymko Y. (2020). Coping with the Covid-19 Crisis: Force Majeure and Gender Performativity. Gender, Work, & Organization, 27: 788-803.
  27. Hilbrecht M., Shaw S.M., Johnson L.C., Andrey J. (2008). ‘I’m home for the kids’: contradictory implications for work-life balance of teleworking mothers. Gender, Work, & Organization, 15(5): 454-476.
  28. Hochschild A. (2012). The managed heart: Commercialization of human feeling. Berkeley: University of California Press.
  29. Hodder A. (2020). New Technology, Work and Employment in the era of Covid-19: reflecting on legacies of research. New Technology, Work & Employment, 35(3): 262-275.
  30. ILO (2020). Defining and measuring remote work, telework, work at home and home-based work. ILO technical note. -- Testo disponibile al sito: www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---dgreports/---stat/documents/publication/wcms_747075.pdf (20/8/2020).
  31. Ispettorato nazionale del lavoro (2019). Relazione annuale sulle convalide delle dimissioni e risoluzioni consensuali delle lavoratrici madri e dei lavoratori padri. -- Testo disponibile al sito: www.ispettorato.gov.it/it-it/in-evidenza/Documents/Relazione-Convalida-Dimissioni-anno-2018-28052019.pdf (17/8/2020).
  32. Istat (2019). I tempi della vita quotidiana. Lavoro, conciliazione, parità di genere e benessere soggettivo. -- Testo disponibile al sito: www.istat.it/it/les//2019/05/ebook-I-tempi-della-vita-quotidiana.pdf (17/8/2020).
  33. Istat (2020a). Rapporto annuale 2020. La situazione del Paese. -- Testo disponibile al sito: www.istat.it/it/archivio/244848 (17/8/2020).
  34. Istat (2020b). Popolazione per condizione professionale. Rilevazione sulle forze di lavoro. -- Database disponibile al sito: http://dati.istat.it/ (17/8/2020).
  35. King T., Hewitt B., Crammond B., Sutherland G., Maheen H., Kavanagh A. (2020). Reordering gender systems: can COVID-19 lead to improved gender equality and health?. The Lancet, 396(10244): 80-81. DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(20)31
  36. Lazzari C. (2020). Sicurezza sul lavoro e Covid-19. Appunti per una prospettiva di genere. Diritto della sicurezza sul lavoro, 1: 6-17. DOI: 10.14276/2531-4289.220
  37. Lyon D. (2006). The organization of care work in Italy: Gender and migrant labor in the new economy. Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies, 13(1): 207-224.
  38. Malzani F. (2018). Il lavoro agile tra opportunità e nuovi rischi per il lavoratore. Diritti lavori mercati, 1: 17-36. DOI: 10.1400/26819
  39. Mangiavacchi L., Piccoli L., Pieroni L. (2020). Fathers Matter: Intra-Household Responsibilities and Children’s Wellbeing during the COVID-19 Lockdown in Italy. IZA Discussion Paper, 13409. -- Testo disponibile al sito: http://ftp.iza.org/dp13519.pdf (21/1/2021).
  40. Manzo L., Minello A. (2020). Mothers, childcare duties, and remote working under COVID-19 lockdown in Italy: Cultivating communities of care. Dialogues in Human Geography, 10(2): 120-123. DOI: 10.1177/204382062093426
  41. McLaren H., Wong K., Nguyen K., Mahamadachchi K. (2020). Covid-19 and Women’s Triple Burden: Vignettes from Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Vietnam and Australia. Soc. Sci., 9 (87): 1-11.
  42. Ministero del Lavoro e delle Politiche Sociali (2020). Comunicato stampa 1 maggio 2020. -- Testo disponibile al sito: www.lavoro.gov.it/stampa-e-media/comunicati/pagine/sono-piu-di-1-milione-800-mila-i-lavoratori-attivi-in-modalita-smart-working.aspx/ (17/8/2020).
  43. Musson G., Tietze S. (2004). Feelin’ groovy: appropriating time in home-based telework. Culture and Organization, 10(3): 251-64. DOI: 10.1080/14759550412331297174
  44. Naldini M., Saraceno C. (2012), Conciliare famiglia e lavoro. Vecchi e nuovi patti tra sessi e generazioni. Bologna: il Mulino.
  45. Orlando associazione (2020). Covid-19: Uno Sguardo di Genere. -- Testo disponibile al sito: orlando.women.it/news/covid19-uno-sguardo-di-genere-analisi-collaborativa/ (20/8/2020).
  46. Parreñas R.S. (2001). Mothering from a distance: emotions, gender, and intergenerational relations in Filipino transnational families. Feminist Studies, 27(2): 361-390. DOI: 10.2307/3178765
  47. Power K. (2020). The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the care burden of women and families. Sustainability: Science, Practice and Policy, 16(1): 67-73. DOI: 10.1080/15487733.2020.1776561
  48. Prada V. (2020). Non chiamatelo smartworking. -- Testo disponibile al sito: www.sinoinfatti.com/lavoro/non-chiamatelo-smartworking-chiamiamolo-spreadworking/ (17/8/2020).
  49. Riaño Y. (2012). The Invisibility of Family in Studies of Skilled Migration and Brain Drain. Diversities, 14(1): 25-44. -- Testo disponibile al sito: www.unesco.org/shs/diversities/vol14/issue1/art3 (5/3/2021).
  50. Roberts E. (2008). Time and work-life balance: the roles of ‘temporal customization’ and ‘life temporality’. Gender, Work, & Organization, 15(5): 430-453.
  51. Sørensen S. (2017). The performativity of choice: Postfeminist perspectives on work-life balance. Gender, Work & Organization, 24(3): 297-313.
  52. South Working - Lavorare dal Sud (2020). Carta del South Working. -- Testo disponibile al sito: www.southworking.org/carta-del-south-working (21/1/2021).
  53. Sullivan C. (2012). Remote working and work-life balance. In: Reilly N.P., Sirgy M.J., Gorman C.A., editors, Work and quality of life: Ethical Practices in Organizations. Berlin: Springer.
  54. Sullivan C., Lewis S. (2001). Home-based telework, gender, and the synchronization of work and family: perspectives of teleworkers and their co-residents. Gender, Work & Organization, 8(2): 123-145. DOI: 10.1111/1468-0432.0012
  55. Thompson J.A., Bunderson J.S. (2001). Work-nonwork conflict and the phenomenology of time: Beyond the balance metaphor. Work and Occupations, 28(1): 17-39. DOI: 10.1177/0730888401028001003
  56. Trifiletti R. (2017). La conciliazione vita/lavoro, un genus ambiguo delle politiche sociali, in particolare nell’approccio degli investimenti sociali. Autonomie locali e servizi sociali, 40(2): 349-362. DOI: 10.1447/8833
  57. Valore D (2020). #ioracconto. -- Testo disponibile al sito: https://valored.it/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/ValoreD-report_ioracconto-Maggio2020-off.pdf (17/8/2020).
  58. Veneto Lavoro (2020). Emergenza Covid-19. L’impatto sul lavoro dipendente in Veneto. Misure/98. -- Testo disponibile al sito: www.venetolavoro.it/documents/10180/1693590/Misure%2098_COVID-19.pdf (20/8/2020).
  59. Vianello F.A. (2009). Migrando sole. Legami transnazionali tra Ucraina e Italia. Milano: FrancoAngeli.
  60. Villa-Torres L., Gonzalez-Vazquez T., Fleming P.J., González-González E.L., Infante-Xibille C., Chavez R., Barrington C. (2017). Transnationalism and health: a systematic literature review on the use of transnationalism in the study of the health practices and behaviors of migrants. Social Science & Medicine, 183: 70-79.
  61. Vitaletti M. (2020). Emergenza covid-19 e lavoratrici madri: occupazione e condizione femminile tra diritto “scritto” e diritto “muto”. Economia e Società Regionale, 2: 28-35. DOI: 10.3280/ES2020-00200
  62. Wolkowitz C. (2006). Bodies at work. Thousand Oaks: Sage.

  • Ambiente, lavoro e donne per una sostenibilità al femminile nelle istituzioni scolastiche Angelo Falzarano, Raffaele Sibilio, in WELFARE E ERGONOMIA 1/2022 pp.63
    DOI: 10.3280/WE2022-001006
  • The variable geometry of bargaining: implementing unions' strategies on remote work in Italy Anne-Iris Romens, Valeria Piro, Francesco E. Iannuzzi, in STUDI ORGANIZZATIVI 1/2022 pp.129
    DOI: 10.3280/SO2022-001006

Anne-Iris Romens, Lavoro da remoto, conciliazione tra tempi di vita e lockdown: per una prospettiva di genere in "SOCIOLOGIA DEL LAVORO " 160/2021, pp 224-243, DOI: 10.3280/SL2021-160011