COVID-19 and mandatory telework: effects on gender roles and work family conflicts among Japanese dual-career regular employees with children

This study empirically investigates some of the consequences of mandatory telework from home brought about by the first state of emergency following the outbreak of COVID-19 in Japan. There is yet scant research in Japan on the consequences of working from home due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and this article disentangles the concepts of mandatory and involuntary telework. A survey of regular employees in dual income households with children retrospectively assessed the changes in gender role attitudes and work-family conflicts before and during forced telework from home in the Tokyo area in Spring 2020 and shed light on their first experience with telework. Mandatory telework, regardless of frequency, did not affect gender role attitudes among Japanese dual-career couples, and was associated with lower work-family conflict more so among women. Full mandatory telework resulted in higher satisfaction with one's work space at home for women, and a desire for more frequent telework among both genders, once COVID-19 is under control. These results can help individuals, firms, and governments understand the effects of mandatory telework and devise countermeasures supporting flexible work arrangements.