Recent studies have found that while many couples worked remotely during the pandemic, there was a notable imbalance in the number of domestic duties being taken on. A research study done by the University of Nevada found that the tools provided by employers to help employees with the transition to remote working did not help, and in some cases made it worse. In addition, a study by Ohio State University's Fisher College of Business showed that when both partners were working from home, husbands tended to do better than wives. The study indicated that husbands tended to do fewer family-related tasks when their wives also worked from home than when their wives worked from the office.
According to research from UConn, women face more interruptions in their work when they work from home than men do. This is due to a variety of factors, such as gendered differences in how men and women manage their job and family responsibilities, as well as the additional burden of family-related responsibilities that falls on women even when both partners are working from home. This unequal burden of interruptions is further exacerbated by the arrival of the pandemic, with women reporting higher levels of interruptions from both family and colleagues/managers than before. As a result, this increases the risk of reduced employee performance and higher levels of emotional exhaustion.
This research shows that husbands can be a great support to their wives when they are working from home. However, when the line between their personal and professional lives becomes blurred, this can cause conflict between couples. The researchers from Ohio suggest that managers should have realistic expectations for their remote employees, and provide more flexibility so that couples and their families can better adjust to the COVID-19 pandemic.