포스트 코로나 시대에서의 재택근무의 방향성: 젠더평등확보의 관점에서

The aim of this study was to investigate issues relating to working from home (WFH) in the post-coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) era from a gender perspective. Laws and policies related to WFH that were enacted during the pandemic have recently been revised. However, the process has not sufficiently considered the gender perspective in relation to WFH. This study identified three problems related to WFH and gender that manifested themselves during the pandemic: (i) blurring of boundaries between working time and private time, (ii) dual burden of paid and unpaid work, and (iii) an increase in stress levels among female workers. Based on these findings, this paper discusses ways to secure gender equality in the WFH environment, which is set to become the norm in the future in the post-pandemic era. These include the following: (i) establishment of agreed working hours and acknowledgement of the need for flexibility in relation to these, (ii) recognition of the right to be disconnected, and (iii) enforcement of policies related to nursery and childcare, and (iv) improvement in laws aimed at promoting mental health. Workers were encouraged to work from home in recent years to prevent the spread of coronavirus. In the post-COVID-19 era, a new and more autonomous type of WFH, which emphasizes the work-life balance, is expected to prevail. Considering ongoing trends in WFH, securing gender equality in relation to WFH can be expected to become an important topic.