Journal Article

A Tale of Two Realities: Gendered Workspace during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Taipei

Tsai, Chyi-Rong

2024

Overview

This study examines how heterosexual couples in Taipei used space when both were working from home. I interviewed 29 heterosexual couples on how they arranged working space at home and how these spatial arrangements influenced their working experiences and career development. I found that space was gendered: men tended to work in a preferable space at home compared to their partners. However, a preferable space was not always defined by its physical setting, such as a room. Interviews revealed that women tended to move around to accommodate their family members’ needs when they worked from home, having unstable and interrupted working environments. Their experiences revealed that women’s family roles, such as mother, daughter, and wife, are prioritized at home, resulting in constant interruptions. On the contrary, men’s roles as workers were prioritized and protected when they worked from home. Gender superseded and transformed the physical space and reproduced gender inequality at work for people who work from home. This study suggests the need to consider the impact of gender norms before treating remote work as a pro-work–family policy.

• Publisher: MDPI AG
• Subject: Analysis / Career development / Confucianism / Couples / COVID-19 / Cultural heritage / Effectiveness / Egalitarianism / Epidemics / Families & family life / Family policy / Family roles / Female roles / Female-male relations / gender and space / Gender equity / Gender inequality / Gender pay gap / Gender roles / Heterosexuality / Housework / Inequality / Influence / Interruptions / Labor force / Men / Mothers / Nuclear family / Occupational roles / Occupational segregation / Pandemics / Relatives / remote work / Sex roles / Social aspects / Social norms / Taiwan / Wage differential / Women / Womens health / Work / Work at home / Work environment / work–family balance / work–family conflict