Exploring the Gender Gap in Teleworking from Home. The Roles of Worker’s Characteristics, Occupational Positions and Gender Equality in Europe

Abstract

Previous research suggests an under-representation of women among teleworkers before the Covid-19 pandemic. However, we know little about whether such a gender gap was substantial, and whether it could be explained by occupational gender segregation. We explore whether a gender gap in regularly teleworking existed in the EU-28 and analyse its possible constituents, drawing on data from the European Working Conditions Survey 2015. To form a group of potential teleworkers, the analytical sample was restricted to employees who made use of information and communication technology (N ≈ 16,000). Country fixed effects regression and multilevel models were applied. The results show that women were under-represented among teleworkers compared to men, also when occupational gender segregation is taken into account; the remaining gender gap in telework is estimated at 10%. For women, working part-time and working in the private sector was associated with lower incidences of telework, but not for men. Country characteristics explain a small but significant share of telework incidence. In countries that rank high on the Gender Equality Index and have a large public sector, telework was widespread, whereas it was less present in countries with higher shares of women in the fields of science and engineering. The findings support the view that the gender gap in teleworking from home is a matter of historically grown gender inequality.

Gender/Sex Disparities in the COVID-19 Cascade from Testing to Mortality: An Intersectional Analysis of Swiss Surveillance Data

“…Women are more likely to work in essential service sectors involving close contacts and limited telecommuting options, such as in service and healthcare jobs (47)(48)(49)(50), which may account for their higher testing rates. Yet, this potential increased exposure did not translate into higher positivity rates when accounting for initial differences in testing, possibly attributable to greater adherence to health recommendations and protective measures among women compared to men (23,26,29,49,51).…”

The Fault Lines of Internet-enabled Work in Rural Atlantic Canada: Putting Gender and Class in Place.

“…The gender of teleworkers continues to elude researchers, despite numerous empirical studies across various disciplines, including transportation, labour, urban planning, ethics, law, sociology, and organizational studies and time periods; there remains no consensus on the key question: are teleworkers most likely to be men or women (Bailey & Kurland, 2002;Gurstein, 2001;Haddad et al, 2009;Haider & Anwar, 2023;Kley & Reimer, 2023;Tremblay, 2003)?…”

“…From the dimension of occupation, evidence does show that the telework labour market is both gendered and classed. The occupations of teleworking men and women are segmented along gender and class lines (Bailey & Kurland, 2002;Huws, 2014;Kley & Reimer, 2023;Tremblay, 2003). Teleworking men and women are concentrated in occupations or fields of work similar to the traditional labour market (Bailey & Kurland, 2002;Huws, 2003;Kley & Reimer, 2023;Tremblay, 2003).…”

“…The occupations of teleworking men and women are segmented along gender and class lines (Bailey & Kurland, 2002;Huws, 2014;Kley & Reimer, 2023;Tremblay, 2003). Teleworking men and women are concentrated in occupations or fields of work similar to the traditional labour market (Bailey & Kurland, 2002;Huws, 2003;Kley & Reimer, 2023;Tremblay, 2003). For instance, there is high gender segregation in computer science and telecommunications, with men being overrepresented (Kley & Reimer, 2023).…”

“…Meanwhile, they are also segmented across occupations based on work activities, control over work, and pay (Blackburn et al, 2002;Kley & Reimer, 2023). For example, teleworking men are more likely to use higher skill functions and are often the decision-makers that use ICT as work tools; whereas lower-skilled teleworking occupations like data entry, customer service and technical support staff positions are mostly filled by women (Huws, 2003;Menzies, 1997).…”