‘I'm Home for the Kids’: Contradictory Implications for Work–Life Balance of Teleworking Mothers

Abstract

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.

On modeling telecommuting behavior: option, choice, and frequency

“…In fact, a study by the General Services Administration (GSA, 2006) reported that the financial benefit a company accrues by allowing its employees to telecommute far outstrips the cost to the company of providing the necessary telecommuting products and services (see also Robert and Borjesson, 2006). At the same time, potential benefits of telecommuting to employees include work schedule flexibility, reduced transportation costs, lower overall commuting stress levels, improved job satisfaction, and improved work-family life balance (Madsen, 2003, Potter, 2003, Gajendran and Harrison, 2007, Hilbrecht et al, 2008, and Fonner and Roloff, 2010. Thus, instituting telecommuting programs may not only enable planning organizations to reduce traffic congestion/GHG emissions, but also may provide tangible benefits to employers and employees.…”

Individual, Organizational and Environmental Factors Affecting Work-Life Balance

“…Some of the factors that have been shown to have a positive relationship with work-life balance. These factors include job satisfaction (Saif, Malik, & Awan, 2010); and telework (Felstead, Jewson, Phizaklea, & Walters, 2002;Morganson, Major, Oborn, Verine, & Heelan, 2010;Hilbrecht, Shaw, Johnson, & Andrey, 2008). On the other hand, some factors were found to have a negative impact on work-life balance, for example work overload (Virick, Lilly, & Casper, 2007), and job demands (Chiang, Birtch, & Kwan, 2010).…”

Understanding Adolescents

“…Social media -for example -can facilitate greater communication between parents and an adolescent's peers, including through profile monitoring practices (such as snooping). Media and technology also serve as exosystems that influence microsystems and mesosystems, such as the way in which mobile technologies have impacted upon parents' working patterns allowing more opportunity to work from home and thus potentially impacting upon the nature of the adolescent-parent relationship (Hilbrecht, Shaw, Johnson, & Andrey, 2008). Lastly, media and technology may also be seen as part of the macrosystem shaping cultural norms and values.…”