Resisting long working hours: The case of Spanish female teleworkers

Abstract

Spain has some of the longest working days in the European Union and this presents problems for women employees, especially with regard to their work-life balance. Teleworking has been introduced as a possible solution. Our article analyses this working relationship and shows how female teleworkers produce new interpretations of time, space and agency. When it comes to time, we conclude that there is 'gendered time' and 'resistance time'. This (a) illustrates how women who telework deploy different approaches in the way they relate to their temporal, spatial and material worlds, and (b) defines a particular type of agency associated with teleworking that vindicates their condition as both female workers and mothers, and denounces a patriarchal labour model designed by and for men.

Work-Life Flexibility Policies From a Boundary Control and Implementation Perspective: A Review and Research Framework

“…Examples include how cultural configurations of motherhood (Masood & Nisar, 2020) and fatherhood (Plantin, 2007), the presence of hegemonic masculinity (Almqvist, 2008), and the male breadwinning model (Suwada, 2017) influence the uptake of parental leave, typically rendering maternity leave as acceptable while discouraging paternity leave. Gender socialization involving expectations about traditional role norms (Chandra, 2012), notions of the “ideal worker” (Ewald & Hogg, 2022), masculinist and heterosexist biases (Hari, 2017), and the patriarchal labor model (Gálvez, Tirado, & Alcaráz, 2018) typically discouraged the uptake of other work–life flexibility policies—for both men and women alike—including teleworking.…”

“…Perhaps because behaviors are central to implementation, the majority of the 11 studies examining individual implementation emphasized employees’ agency—that is, specific, conscious behaviors or deliberate actions associated with policy use (e.g., Björk, 2013; Gálvez et al, 2018; Rossitto & Lampinen, 2018). Greer and Payne (2014) identified a dozen different strategies individuals use to overcome telework challenges, including preparing the physical environment, communicating with family about expectations (linking to home implementation), and remaining accessible for coworkers (linking to workgroup implementation).…”

Decent work housebound: Recovery experiences of parents during the pandemic

“…It enables them to match personal demands (like motherhood) and professional demands, reducing the conflicts between both spheres (Delanoeije & Verbruggen, 2020). This, in addition, denounces and shows resistance against the hegemonic model of (on-site) work designed for men (Bal & Dóci, 2018;Gálvez et al, 2018).…”

“…To some, the benefits of bringing these realms together have to do with the possibility of simultaneously managing professional and family-related responsibilities (Gajendran & Harrison, 2007;Kanellopoulos, 2011;Raghuram & Wiesenfeld, 2004;Windeler et al, 2017). This model would facilitate reaching a better balance between the professional and the personal lives (Fuller & Hirsh, 2019;Gálvez et al, 2018;Navarro et al, 2017). However, to others, the constant interruptions by family members or poor limits between work and leisure times serve as potential sources of conflict (Aderaldo et al, 2017;Martins et al, 2020) that lead to high emotional cost.…”