In the COVID Era, Seoul Women Say "Hello" to 'Remote Work'... Increased Anxiety Over Layoffs and Unemployment

Seoul Foundation of Women and Family Conducts Survey and Analysis on Women's Remote Work, Housework, and Care Labor Post-COVID-19
31% of Respondents Report Wage Reduction or Employment Changes... Calls for Better Remote Work Support and Expanded Care Services Increase

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] One year after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the COVID-19 pandemic, explosive increases in COVID-19 cases have led to a nationwide "pause" in South Korea. Children who missed their entrance ceremonies stayed home, and office workers found it difficult to go to their workplaces, making remote work a viable alternative. What has daily life been like for women who have spent a year amid the pandemic?

On the 25th, the Seoul Foundation of Women and Family conducted a survey targeting women with remote work experience in celebration of International Women's Day on March 8. The survey investigated the realities of remote work, household chores, and caregiving labor, and announced the results of the "Gender Equality Life Dictionary: Remote Work Edition." A total of 712 citizens participated and shared their opinions. The survey asked about reasons for remote work, positive and negative aspects of remote work, positive and negative aspects of increased time spent at home, and experiences with caregiving and household labor compared to before COVID-19.

The survey results showed that the most common reason women worked remotely was due to COVID-19 measures such as all-staff or rotational attendance at the workplace (72.5%), followed by remote work implemented due to job characteristics even before COVID-19 (11.2%), and mandatory remote work for pregnant women, high-risk groups, or self-quarantine (7.7%). The advantages of remote work included reduced commuting time leading to increased personal time (18.8%), decreased effort in makeup and dressing (18.6%), and reduced risk of infection from contagious diseases like COVID-19 (17.2%). Additionally, 12.4% of respondents said, "Flexible time management has enabled work-life balance."

On the other hand, when asked about the disadvantages of remote work, the highest response was difficulty separating work and living spaces (27.6%), followed by difficulty managing work hours and breaks (19.6%), and difficulty concentrating on work (18.7%). Furthermore, as remote work prolonged, 33.9% of respondents felt anxiety about dismissal or unemployment, and 31.5% experienced wage reductions or changes in employment type. Among the 75 respondents who reported changes in employment type, 67 became irregular workers, and some reported resignations (2 people) or were encouraged to resign (1 person).

Specifically, 96.0% of respondents said their time spent at home increased after COVID-19. With more time at home, positive aspects included reduced stress from unnecessary human relationships (33.5%), increased face-to-face time with cohabiting family members leading to greater intimacy (24.9%), and improved residential environment due to increased interest in household chores (19.0%).

Negative aspects of increased time at home included increased burden of household chores and caregiving (27.7%), health deterioration due to reduced outdoor and physical activities (26.5%), increased feelings of depression from social isolation (20.2%), and increased stress from noise between floors and small living spaces (19.7%).

Among respondents, 46.3% said caregiving and household labor time increased by less than one hour compared to before COVID-19, 18.5% reported an increase of 1?2 hours, 14.9% reported 2?3 hours, and 16.3% reported an increase of more than 3 hours. Difficulties experienced while performing caregiving and household labor after COVID-19 included increased stress from balancing work and caregiving/household chores (37.2%), increased necessity and demand for caregiving/household labor (30.9%), and conflicts among family members or cohabitants (15.5%).

In response, participants suggested that to overcome difficulties arising from blurred boundaries between workplace and home and increased caregiving/household labor during the COVID era, it is necessary to expand emergency care and caregiving services in terms of recipients, personnel, and time (151 people), raise awareness that remote work is also work (79 people), and provide coworking space support for those who find it difficult to work from home (76 people).

Notably, 75.0% of participants were wage workers, but with prolonged remote work, 31.5% experienced wage reductions or changes in employment type, indicating the need for active measures to support women's employment stability.

Baek Mi-soon, the CEO, stated, "Through this citizen survey, we will share with the public the realities of women's remote labor during the COVID era, work to improve awareness of remote work and promote a gender-equal workplace culture, and strive to improve the employment environment for female workers, which has worsened due to COVID-19."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.