Homeoffice als Ressource für pflegende Angehörige? Geschlechterunterschiede vor, während und nach der Pandemie

This study examines whether the expanding option of working from home (WFH) served as a resource for female and male caregivers over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. For caregivers, WFH offered potential benefits such as greater work autonomy, potentially enhancing well-being. However, blurred boundaries between paid work and family life could also increase strain. Focusing on gender inequalities, we investigate whether caregivers were particularly able to use WFH to reconcile paid work and care during and after the pandemic and whether WFH alleviated challenges related to life satisfaction, loneliness, and care strain. Data from the German Ageing Survey (DEAS) at three time points – mid-March 2020 (pre-pandemic, retrospectively surveyed), summer 2020 (pandemic), and winter 2023/24 (post-pandemic) – show no differences between caregivers and non-caregivers in the likelihood or the extent of working from home during or after the pandemic. However, female caregivers who worked from home reported higher life satisfaction and less loneliness during the pandemic, and experienced reduced care strain afterward, compared to those working on-site. These findings highlight the potential of WFH to support caregiver well-being.