REMOTE WORK AND PATRIARCHAL RESISTANCE: GENDERED POWER DYNAMICS IN DUAL EARNER HOUSEHOLD

Abstract

This paper explores how the increased era of telework intertwines with patriarchal relations of power to inform gendered dynamics in dualearner households. Our research problematizes the question of whether teleworking may enhance or paradoxically counteract more equitable gender performances, facilitating egalitarian divisions of domestic responsibilities within households, or rather serving as a contending mechanism that coexists with residual patriarchal norms. The aim of the study is to consider how decisionmaking, domestic labour, emotional burden and power are managed in dual earner couples at least one of whom remotely commutes. We aim to:1) map how remote working has changed the organization of unpaid domestic work; 2) Identify different forms of resistance (explicit and subtle grounds) from patriarchal expectations;3) Understand if power relations are changing or becoming unchanged in decisionmaking processes, mental load and resource allocation. To do this, the project takes a mixedmethods approach and includes (1) a largescale survey of dual-earner couples (N ≈ 500), together with semistructured qualitative interviews (≈ 30 couples), and time-use diaries. Quantitative data are analyzed using statistical models (regression, mediation) whereas qualitative data is thematically coded. Central findings are: whereas remote work creates potential for a more equal sharing of housework and childcare, resistance to patriarchy is staunch; women carry the majority of domestic labour and emotional freefavouriteship, men frequently engage in temporal, ideological or practical obstacles to full involvement and that decisionmaking skews. And the mental labour (the arranging, the anticipating, the responsibility) remains a significant area of unequal load. The research finds that working from home is a condition necessary but not sufficient for gender equality in the household; policy, organizational and cultural interventions are required to challenge patriarchal norms. These implications are relevant to the workplace, public policy and family.

Keywords: remote work; patriarchy; dualearner households; gendered division of labor; mental load; household power; workfamily balance