Does Telework Work for Everyone? Teleworking’s Impact on Wellbeing Across Gender and Parental Status

Jente Versigghel, Hannah Hook, Jonas De Vos and Frank Witlox
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Jente Versigghel: Department of Geography, Ghent University, Belgium
Hannah Hook: Department of the Built Environment, Aalto University, Finland
Jonas De Vos: Bartlett School of Planning, University College London, UK
Frank Witlox: Department of Geography, Ghent University, Belgium / Department of Geography, University of Tartu, Estonia

Social Inclusion, 2026, vol. 14

Abstract: The rise in teleworking has reshaped patterns of work, travel, residential choices, and social interaction, but its effects are not evenly distributed across space or socio‐economic groups. Although previous studies highlight both positive and negative consequences of teleworking, less is known about how it affects wellbeing, and whether these effects differ by gender and childcare responsibilities—two factors closely linked to unequal household and caregiving burdens. This study addresses these gaps by examining how teleworking relates to commute‐related wellbeing and general life satisfaction, and whether these relationships vary according to gender and the presence of children in the household. Data were collected through an online survey, targeting employees in East Flanders, Belgium. We estimated two OLS models to assess the influence of teleworking frequency on (a) commute‐related wellbeing and (b) general life satisfaction. The results show that teleworking is a significant predictor of commute wellbeing, but not of general life satisfaction. To explore the moderating role of gender and childcare responsibilities, we estimated two extended models: one including an interaction term between teleworking and gender, and another including an interaction between teleworking and the presence of children. We did not find evidence of gender differences among teleworkers or non‐teleworkers in commute wellbeing or life satisfaction. However, combining teleworking with childcare, especially for children under the age of six, was associated with lower life satisfaction, suggesting that the digital transition may reinforce existing social inequalities.

Keywords: childcare; commute wellbeing; East Flanders (Belgium); life satisfaction; remote working arrangements (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:cog:socinc:v14:y:2026:a:11538

DOI: 10.17645/si.11538

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