Published 2022-08-03
Keywords
- COVID-19,
- gendered spaces,
- traditiona gender roles,
- housework,
- smart work
How to Cite
Abstract
How did women relate to space and time when working at home during the COVID-19 pandemic? We contextualized women’s relationships with their home spaces as they became nomads in their own homes during the lockdown. In face-to-face focus-group interviews conducted with 50 women who had experience with smart work or telework in Tuscany, Italy, we observed a range of strategies among women who dealt with forced closures during COVID-19. Justification and acceptance of inequality became a part of the daily life of the women, who fought against unequal distribution of time and space via negotiation, evidence, adaptation, or requests to return to workplaces. During COVID-19, Italian working women were in search of space and time in their own homes, trying relentlessly to respond to the demands of their families and fulfil work-related requirements.