Women in home office during the COVID-19 pandemic and the work-family conflict configurations

Abstract

The aim of this research was to understand the impacts that working from home during the COVID-19 quarantine period had on the work-family conflict for Brazilian female workers. To reach the objective, fourteen professionals with different family arrangements, were interviewed. All the interviewees reported work overload due to organizational requirements, and the demands placed on them by their children and the home. Despite this, it is worth noting that, according to the testimonies, this work overload did not intensify the work-family conflict for all or them, contrary to what is claimed in the literature. Some interviewees stated that working from home brought them closer to their children and husbands, and provided more time for physical and leisure activities. This finding can contribute towards broadening the debate on work-family conflict, by postulating that it is not only time, pressure and behavior that are the sources of this conflict, but also the physical distance that the hours spent working away from the home imposes.

Keywords

• family-work conflict
• telework
• covid-19
• quarantine
• double shift