This study explores the experience of time flexibility and its relationship to work-life balance among married female teleworkers with school-aged children. Drawing from a larger study of teleworkers from a Canadian financial corporation, 18 mothers employed in professional positions discussed work, leisure and their perceptions of work-life balance in in-depth interviews. Telework was viewed positively because flexible scheduling facilitated optimal time management. A key factor was the pervasiveness of caregiving, which could result in ongoing tensions and contradictions between the ethic of care and their employment responsibilities. The ideology of 'intensive mothering' meant that work schedules were closely tied to the rhythms of children's school and leisure activities. The different temporal demands of motherhood and employment resulted in little opportunity for personal leisure. Time 'saved' from not having to commute to an office was reallocated to caregiving, housework or paid employment rather than to time for their self. The women also experienced a traditional gendered division of household labour and viewed telework as a helpful tool for combining their dual roles. Time flexibility enhanced their sense of balancing work and life and their perceived quality of life. At the same time, they did not question whether having the primary responsibility for caregiving while engaged in paid employment at home was fair or whether it was a form of exploitation.

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This paper explores whether and in what ways telework is associated with a reconfiguration or remixing of daily work, family and leisure activities. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 51 teleworkers employed in a financial organisation in Canada. For some, telework was a condition of employment, while others negotiated part-time telework arrangements with managers. Using interpretive thematic analysis techniques, intersections and inter-relationships between experiences of work, family and leisure were identified. Three main themes emerged, including the need to not only protect, but also containing work time and space; the significance of family and being available for children; and, the relative devaluation of leisure. Although it was anticipated that differences between involuntary and voluntary teleworkers would be evident, gender and family stage were more influential in structuring daily life. The flexibility of telework was valued, but there was little evidence of a reconfiguration of life spheres except for women with children at home.Keywords: telework, flexibility, work-leisure relationship, intensive motherhood, work-life balance, leisure, involuntary telework, telecommute.With the emergence of digital technologies and the subsequent widespread use of and dependence on computerisation, telework is a realistic option for workers in a range of occupations. It is an attractive possibility for companies seeking to reduce costs and for employees who are seeking to avoid daily commutes to work and have more control Margo Hilbrecht (ciwmargo@uwaterloo.ca) is the Associate Director of Research for the Canadian Index of Wellbeing, University of Waterloo. Her research interests centre on the relationship of nonstandard work arrangements to gendered experiences of time use, leisure, health and well-being, particularly in the context of family life. Susan M. Shaw is a Distinguished Professor Emerita in the Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies at the University of Waterloo. Her research focuses on the intersection of work, leisure, and family for women and men, including changing ideologies of parenthood and the implications of this and other forms of social change for leisure and life quality. Laura C. Johnson is a professor in the University of Waterloo School of Planning where she teaches social planning and social research methods. Her research has addressed the social impacts of telework and other home-based work.

Studies of home-based telework by women yield mixed results regarding the usefulness of telework in facilitating work-life balance. Most research on the social impacts of home-based telework focuses on workers-employees or self-employed-who deliberately choose that alternative work arrangement. Labour force analysts, however, predict an increase in employer-initiated teleworking. As a case study of the workforce of one large, financial-sector firm in Canada, this article considers the conditions of employment of involuntary teleworkers, those required by their employer to work full-time from a home office. In-depth interviews were co nducted with a sample of 18 female teleworkers working for the case study firm in a professional occupation. Study participants described the advantages and disadvantages of working from home, particularly with regard to spatial and social aspects of locating work in a home setting. The gendered nature of their jobs, and the caring and supportive functions they provide both through their employment and their household responsibilities are seen to support the relocation of their jobs from office to their homes. In many jurisdictions, telework is promoted as a means of giving women more flexibility to balance their paid work with their household responsibilities; the article highlights some of the contradictions involved in moving the workplace into women's homes.

We investigate the spatial relationships among three prominent facets of contemporary urbanism – gentrification, studentification, and youthification – in the context of Canadian post-secondary educational institutions (universities and colleges). We conduct the analysis in three major Canadian cities with substantial knowledge economy sectors using confidential Statistics Canada census files, which include information on individuals and their geographies, and the location of universities and colleges, by enrolment size. We document ‘spillover’ effects of expansions in student enrolment and the building of campuses by analysing the geographic correlations among universities and gentrification and youthification. Studentification and youthification are to some extent coincident but not entirely, whereas the connection to gentrification is more complex. Our work provides novel insight into the ways the three different facets of contemporary urbanism overlap and contribute to our understanding of how universities and colleges, as hallmarks of the knowledge economy, influence the social geography of cities.