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This affects women more because caregiving is a responsibility which falls disproportionately on women. Though I'm no longer working, being able to shift to re

This affects women more because caregiving is a responsibility which falls disproportionately on women. Though I'm no longer working, being able to shift to remote a few years ago let me move home and care for my parents + kids at the same time. It wasn't about working less, it's about being available in case of emergency and not having to do a commute. My hours worked didn't change at all - if anything, they increased, because I didn't have to rush home from the office as a precaution. I like to think that remote work is particularly valuable for men because it makes it possible for them to rise above systemic factors and be present and engaged in caregiving in a way which was previously artificially denied them. I like to think the biggest benefit for women isn't that they're able to work remotely to more effectively be caregivers, but that their spouses are able to work remotely so they aren't obliged to be caregivers. I wish that were how it was presented.

082349872349872 3y ago
Elizabeth Barber's Women's Work points out that for centuries (millennia even), textile work was both economically valuable and fit the criteria for caregiving: interruptible and capable of being done at home. Then the industrial revolution happened, and textiles became cheap...
lsllc 3y ago
Totally agree, both my wife and I were able to WFH when the kids were young and as a Dad I got to spend so much time with them that I wouldn't have otherwise if I had been in a 5 day WFO role. Gymnastics/dance classes, school pickups and drop offs, play dates etc etc. It's the small stuff, but so many memories. WFH meant my wife didn't have to quit her job and was able to continue to advance her career. Now it meant catching up on work in the evenings after the kids were asleep, but it was totally worth it. With both of us being able to WFH, we could schedule things so that each of us was where we needed to be work-wise for meetings/calls etc.
tomatocracy 3y ago
I agree in some ways but for me, probably the biggest potential benefit is that it dramatically improves the ability to return to work after a career break for maternity or family caring responsibilities. We know that this difficulty is one of the biggest reasons we don't see more senior women in many careers; larger corporates have started putting in places returners programmes specifically because of this. The "old" way to deal with this was part time working. But in many careers the truth is that returning part time simply means being paid 80% or 60% of a full time wage but with close to full time hours and responsibilities. WfH 3 days a week opens up the possibility to manage a full time role together with some care responsibilities when returning. In that way it's potentially a huge change for the better.

082349872349872 3y ago

Elizabeth Barber's Women's Work points out that for centuries (millennia even), textile work was both economically valuable and fit the criteria for caregiving: interruptible and capable of being done at home. Then the industrial revolution happened, and textiles became cheap...

lsllc 3y ago

Totally agree, both my wife and I were able to WFH when the kids were young and as a Dad I got to spend so much time with them that I wouldn't have otherwise if I had been in a 5 day WFO role. Gymnastics/dance classes, school pickups and drop offs, play dates etc etc. It's the small stuff, but so many memories. WFH meant my wife didn't have to quit her job and was able to continue to advance her career. Now it meant catching up on work in the evenings after the kids were asleep, but it was totally worth it. With both of us being able to WFH, we could schedule things so that each of us was where we needed to be work-wise for meetings/calls etc.

tomatocracy 3y ago

I agree in some ways but for me, probably the biggest potential benefit is that it dramatically improves the ability to return to work after a career break for maternity or family caring responsibilities. We know that this difficulty is one of the biggest reasons we don't see more senior women in many careers; larger corporates have started putting in places returners programmes specifically because of this. The "old" way to deal with this was part time working. But in many careers the truth is that returning part time simply means being paid 80% or 60% of a full time wage but with close to full time hours and responsibilities. WfH 3 days a week opens up the possibility to manage a full time role together with some care responsibilities when returning. In that way it's potentially a huge change for the better.