Working at Home: The Impacts of COVID 19 on Health, Family-Work-Life Conflict, Gender, and Parental Responsibilities

Abstract

Objective: To examine the impact of working at home on general health, pain, stress, and work-family and family-work conflict, and differences based on gender and parental responsibilities.

Methods: A convenience sample of 658 adults completed an online questionnaire. Regression modeling examined the effects and interactions of gender and parental responsibility on general health, musculoskeletal discomfort/pain frequency and severity, stress, and work-family and family-work conflict.

Results: Women reported more pain and discomfort, regardless of the presence of children, than men with children. Women with children experienced increased stress compared with men with children. Women without children experienced less work-family conflict, and those without children experienced less family-work conflict than men with children.

Conclusions: The impact on pain, stress, and work-family and family-work conflict, due to mandated working at home, is gendered and influenced by parental responsibilities.