Life and Work-life Balance Satisfaction Among Parents Working From Home: the Role of Work-time and Childcare Demands

Anna Kurowska (), Ewa Cukrowska-Torzewska, Tsegachew Degu Kasegn and Bartłomiej Rokicki
Additional contact information
Anna Kurowska: University of Warsaw
Ewa Cukrowska-Torzewska: University of Warsaw
Tsegachew Degu Kasegn: University of Warsaw
Bartłomiej Rokicki: University of Warsaw

Applied Research in Quality of Life, 2025, vol. 20, issue 3, No 19, 1315-1338

Abstract: Abstract This study examines the relationship between working from home (WFH) and satisfaction with work-life balance (WLB) and life satisfaction among parents with dependent children, focusing on moderating factors related to work hours and childcare demands. We differentiate between parents who continued WFH from before the COVID-19 pandemic and those who began WFH during the pandemic. Using a dataset collected via a representative online survey in Canada, Germany, Italy, Poland, Sweden, and the United States, we provide cross-national estimates of WFH’s impact on WLB and life satisfaction. Data collection took place between June and September 2021, capturing a unique period when WFH was widespread but pandemic-related restrictions had been lifted. Our findings show that both fathers and mothers across all countries reported higher WLB when WFH, particularly if they gained the opportunity to WFH during the pandemic. However, the association between WFH and life satisfaction was less consistent and varied by gender and country. For parents who worked from home prior to the pandemic, WFH was linked to higher WLB satisfaction only if they did not work long hours. Interestingly, mothers who began WFH during the pandemic reported higher WLB satisfaction even when working long hours or bearing primary childcare responsibilities. This suggests that the newly gained ability to WFH was especially valued by mothers as a vital means of balancing intensive work and family demands during the pandemic. These findings underscore the importance of distinguishing between the short- and long-term effects of WFH on WLB in future research.

Keywords: Work from home; Work-life balance; Life satisfaction; Work-time demands; Childcare responsibilities; COVID-19 pandemic (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s11482-025-10467-5 Abstract (text/html)
Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:ariqol:v:20:y:2025:i:3:d:10.1007_s11482-025-10467-5

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.springer.com/journal/11482

DOI: 10.1007/s11482-025-10467-5

Access Statistics for this article

Applied Research in Quality of Life is currently edited by Daniel Shek

More articles in Applied Research in Quality of Life from Springer, International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().