Decent work housebound: Recovery experiences of parents during the pandemic

Abstract

The International Labor Organization considers that gender equality and hours for free time and adequate rest are part of the essential dimensions of decent work. This work aims to analyze parents' reinvigorating experiences in the situation of mandatory telework, controlled by job satisfaction. The research has been developed in Brazil, one of the countries most affected by the extension of the confinement entailing from political and economic decisions that have worsened the health crisis. The survey was responded to by 535 respondents, of which 286 were parents. Results show higher means between parents in experiences of relaxation, mastery, control, and psychological detachment. Although considered a high-protective strategy, the latter is little used by both parents. Another tendency found in the results is that children's presence at home negatively affects mothers more than fathers regarding job satisfaction with mandatory telework entailing from the pandemic. Balancing work and family is not an easy equation. It is even worse in a society where women, mainly mothers, blame themselves when they want to relax or decide to take on challenging activities. In the social light, it seems unsustainable to have more responsibility for family care, and this responsibility is not followed by recovery.