Distance employment and parenthood: women's opinions

Abstract

The article examines the relationship between two processes: development of distance employment and changes in women's parenting and reproductive behavior. The hypothesis of social effectiveness of the distance format of paid work for women was tested. It was hypothesized that the distance format allows women to perform parenting and social functions more successfully, that the opportunity to work remotely might influence a woman's positive decision to have more children. The empirical basis was formed on the data from a survey of Russian women of fertile age, conducted in May-June 2019. The sample is quota-based, including control by settlement types (megalopolis, city, village), and all Federal Districts of Russia are covered. The article contains descriptive statistics structurally describing the obtained results. A high level of women's readiness to work remotely was revealed. The motivation to telecommuting was higher among respondents who had similar work experience, as well as among women in younger age groups and living in megalopolises. Women's subjective perceptions of the qualitative changes that can occur in connection with the possibility of working remotely are summarized. On the whole, positive effects on parenting and social aspects of women's lives are found to prevail: more time will be available for child development and education; the frequency of visits to cultural and entertainment events with children will increase; the quality of home meals and everyday life will improve. The descriptive evidence confirms the relationship between telecommuting and women's reproductive behavior. The availability of telecommuting can be considered within the system of factors stimulating fertility.