Gender and teleworking identities in the risk society: a research agenda

Abstract

This paper discusses the potential implications of a risk society on identities due to alterations in work practices. The promise of 'flexibility' via at-home telework entails a renegotiation of the home-work boundary. This brings into play the gendered identities and roles attached to these different spheres of life. After deconstructing promises made on behalf of telework, we construct an alternative research agenda engaging with writings on changing work identities in the risk society where traditional sureties are called into question.

Craft and the Creative Economy

“…Further studies started to emerge in the late twentieth century to address the emerging phenomenon of what was then referred to as 'tele-working', that is the capacity for people to work from home (the 'electronic cottage'), either independently or as an employee, on account of advances in computing and communications technologies (Duxbury et al . 1998;Haddon and Lewis 1994;Huws et al 1990;Mirchandani 2000;Wajcman and Probert 1988;Wilson and Greenhill 2004; and more recently Ekinsmyth 2013b and Hilbrecht, Shaw, Johnson and Andrey 2013). Therefore it is important to identify from the outset that home-based work practices enabled by digital technology, and scholarly discussion around them, are hardly new.…”

A Conflict between Professional vs. Domestic Life? Understanding the Use of ICT in Teleworking for Balance in Work and Family Units

“…For example, it includes people working at home (such as programmers), people working from home (such as salespeople), and people working at work centres (such as telecottages and satellite offices) (Ellison, 1999). Other terms commonly used in place of teleworking are telecommuting, networking, remote working, flexible working, electronic homeworking and e-work (Avellino, 2005;Baruch & Smith, 2002;Gray,Hodson, & Gordon, 1993;Wilson & Greenhill, 2004).…”

Location Independent Working in Academia: Enabling Employees or Supporting Managerial Control?

“…According to Menzies and Newson (2007), one of the ways in which academics attempt to manage these conflicting priorities is an increasing use of technology. In contrast, other writers suggest this reliance on technology has the potential to extend working time and connectivity even further (Lal & Dwivedi, 2008;Leonardi, Treem, & Jackson, 2010;Wilson & Greenhill, 2004). Therefore, while academics may feel more connected in a national and global sense, they feel more isolated at a local level.…”