The gendered paradox of individualization in telework: Simultaneously helpful and harmful in the context of parenting

Abstract

The present study explores the relationship between individualization and gender-related disparities in teleworking. The research is part of a larger project evaluating a pilot program among administrative personnel at an Austrian university before implementing telework across the organization. It presents three key points about the intersection of teleworking and parental roles. First, telework interlinks with individualization in general, and organizations should play a proactive role in preventing the stress that can arise from such individualization. Challenges through individualization have eased due to the collective experiences in the pandemic-driven lockdowns. This overarching insight lays the groundwork for understanding the nuanced gender differences explored in the subsequent points. Second, this individualization process is gendered when it comes to parenting. The flexible nature of telework can ease the burden of juggling paid work with other responsibilities. At the same time, organizational telework initiatives can unintentionally reinforce traditional gender roles, placing women as primary caregivers. The findings indicate that when telework is solely a family-friendly benefit, it leads to a double invisibility of mothers' workload. However, the normalization of hybrid telework as an inner-organizational right might mitigate gendered hierarchies in the long term. Third, while all interviewed mothers felt responsible for parenting, fathers adopted different subject positions that did not disrupt the organizational normalization of mothers as primary caregivers. It sharpened during the pandemic. The study concludes that adopting hybrid telework models could challenge the prevailing “ideal worker” image and support mothers in advancing their careers. Collective experiences and ideas of flexibility as every employee's right can counteract individualization and gender inequalities.