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Working From Home and Gendered Labour Time: COVID-19’s Ongoing Impact

Author

Listed:
  • Lyn Craig

    (School of Social and Political Sciences, Faculty of Arts, The University of Melbourne,)

  • Irma Mooi-Reci

    (Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, The University of Melbourne)

  • Federico Zilio

    (Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, The University of Melbourne)

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic reshaped work arrangements, prompting widespread adoption of working from home (WFH) and raising questions about its implications for gendered labour. Using Australian panel data and fixed-effects models, this study investigates how WFH shapes time allocations to paid and domestic work among dual-earner households. We examine differential effects by gender, WFH intensity, and children’s age. Findings indicate a postpandemic rise in WFH prevalence and intensity, accompanied by divergent gendered patterns of labour time. Under high-intensity WFH, women particularly mothers of older children, expanded their paid work, while men, especially fathers of young children, substantially increased domestic work. Low-intensity WFH primarily supports additional paid work for both women and men. Overall, the results reveal that WFH does not consistently reinforce or challenge traditional gender patterns; rather, its effects are contingent on intensity and family context, producing both opportunities for and constraints on gender equality in the organisation of work.

Suggested Citation

  • Lyn Craig & Irma Mooi-Reci & Federico Zilio, 2026. "Working From Home and Gendered Labour Time: COVID-19’s Ongoing Impact," Melbourne Institute Working Paper Series wp2026n12, Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, The University of Melbourne.
    • Handle: RePEc:iae:iaewps:wp2026n12
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    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • D13 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Household Production and Intrahouse Allocation
    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
    • J22 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Time Allocation and Labor Supply

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