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Teleworking and Gender

Teleworking is becoming an increasingly important part of working life. But does it makes a positive or a negative contribution to sexual equality? Does it confirm the stereotype that a woman’s place is in the home? Or does it allow both men and women a new freedom to rearrange their working lives around family needs? Ursula Huws and her colleagues review the evidence and present the results of a unique survey funded by the Equal Opportunities Unit of the European Commission. This Europe-wide survey, published by the Institute for Employment Studies,  for the first time compares the experiences of male and female teleworkers in the same occupational group (freelance teleworking).

Among its findings are:
 

  • The main reason for choosing teleworking is a desire for personal autonomy
  • Unpredictability of work, tight deadlines and lack of feedback from employers are major sources of stress
  • Male teleworkers often take on 'female' roles in the household and community, but pay a high price for this
  • There is a very large, and unmet, demand for training among freelance teleworkers

    • The Authors

    Ursula Huws, Sara Podro, Ewa Gunnarsson, Thea Weijers, Katerina Arvanitaki, Vangelio Trova

    Contents

    The context; freelance teleworking and gender; characteristics of teleworkers; household roles; employment history and teleworking experience; working conditions; comparison of teleworking and on-site working; personal qualities and skills; work content and management issues; advantages and disadvantages of teleworking; conclusions.

    Readership

    Policy makers, HR professionals, teleworking organisations, academics (gender studies, social studies, industrial relations, labour market studies, business studies, psychology), training providers

    October, 1996, 230 x 166 mm, paperback, IES Report 317. ISBN 1-85`84-244-6 £22.00

    Available from:

    Grantham Book Services Limited Isaac Newton Way Alma Park Industrial Estate Grantham NG31 9SD
    Telephone: + 44 (0)1202 715555
    Fax: +44 (0)1202 715556
    For more information about the Institute for Employment Studies, go to www.employment-studies.co.uk

    other new publications                                                                                                                        other publications about gender

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                                                                                                                            all contents of this page © Ursula Huws, 1999