Work-family conflict of women teleworking due to the health contingency related to COVID-19 in Chile

Abstract

Objective. This article analyzes the characteristics of the interaction between paid and unpaid work for Chilean women who, since the health crisis caused by COVID-19, have had to start working from their homes. Methodology. We worked with a mixed online questionnaire (N = 1137) applied between April and June 2020. We present the responses to the likert questionnaire and analyze in depth the open questions. Results. The participants have a negative perception of telework in a pandemic, showing conflicts in the work/family relationship, time overload, unbalanced use of spaces and little family and work co-responsibility. Finally, it is possible to recognize various narrative resources of resistance to the patriarchal construction of gender roles and recognition of the situation experienced as an issue that affects a large number of women in Chile. Conclusions. Our results show the existence of a conflict that has affected the interaction between work and family life of women, who have had to face a scenario of implementation of social isolation measures and a telework modality characterized by improvisation, which has forced them to face the crisis through the deployment of their own resources, self-organization capacities and individual learning, with heavy costs for their mental health.