Remote work and its impact on women working from home

As remote work becomes more deeply embedded in corporate culture, its potential to reshape gender dynamics in the workplace warrants close examination. Nobel Laureate Claudia GoldinClaudia Goldin, renowned for her groundbreaking research on gender disparities in labor markets, provides a unique lens through which to view these shifts. With companies increasingly turning to flexible work models, many hoped that remote work would promote a more equitable environment for women by reducing time spent on commutes and allowing greater work-life balance. Yet, as Goldin’s research and insights suggest, the story is more complex.

According to Goldin, before the pandemic the percentage of people who worked remotely in the United States was somewhere near five percent. Today, it is closer to 30 percent. “Whichever way you want to slice or dice that, that is an enormously large change,” says Goldin. “We have to ask why it happened.” Goldin says a rise in remote work could have always happened and presented the same benefits it brought, but it was only under the coordinated equilibrium spurred by the pandemic that made it the new reality for so many.

“The heads of many large companies have said, ‘I want everyone back in the office’ but it’s not happening,” says Goldin. “It’s not happening on Wall Street, on Main Street, it’s just not happening.”

For women, particularly those with caregiving responsibilities, remote work has the potential to balance professional and personal demands. But Goldin highlights a paradox in that where remote work can offer some relief, it may also come with hidden costs or trade-offs. “I was thinking hard about how this is going to affect greedy jobs and flexible jobs. At some point, this is going to reduce the need for greedy jobs and it’s going to increase the productivity of flexible jobs,” she says. “It's also going to increase the ability of the economy to have more flexibility for greedy jobs.”

Goldin uses the example of a job that may have required individuals to travel to Tokyo every other weekend or to go to Zurich every month that can now be performed remotely. “We learned we can do handshakes remotely, we can write contracts remotely, and that you don’t have to actually go,” says Goldin. This shift, she says, opens the door for those with care responsibilities to take these positions.

The paradox of this flexibility however suggests that, despite the reduction in office hours, many remote workers—especially women—may face subtle penalties that impact career progression and income. Employers might inadvertently assume that a need for flexibility reflects a lesser commitment to the company, resulting in women being overlooked for promotions or high-visibility projects. For remote work to benefit women in the ways initially hoped, Goldin says that companies need to reevaluate such biases and work to ensure that remote and flexible work are not conflated with lesser professional ambition or capability.

Remote work’s popularity has given rise to a new set of questions: Will women be equally visible when they’re not physically present in the office? Will they have access to mentorship, training, and leadership opportunities that are essential for career growth?

Goldin’s insights suggest that while remote work holds promise, companies need to rethink their pathways for advancement and craft policies that actively avoiding reinforcing existing inequalities. For example, remote and hybrid models might place an unintended premium on the visibility of in-office employees, subtly disadvantaging remote workers who are less seen. Mentorship programs, often an important factor in career progression, can also be less effective in a virtual setting unless employers intentionally build structures that replicate the spontaneity of office encounters.

Organizations might also address structural imbalances that remote work alone cannot resolve. For instance, supporting equal parental leave, providing childcare options, and normalizing flexible work hours for all employees—regardless of gender—can create a more balanced environment for women to thrive, according to Goldin.

While remote work can reduce commute times and increase time spent at home, it can also exacerbate the mental load that women carry by blurring the lines between home and work. According to Goldin, the pandemic revealed how the burden of domestic tasks and caregiving still falls disproportionately on women, even in households committed to couple equity. For many women, a decreased commute simply translated into more time fulfilling household responsibilities rather than professional or personal gains.

This dynamic exacerbates the existing gender gap with more women taking on a dual role that diminishes their ability to focus solely on their professional ambitions. Goldin’s research underscores the broader economic and social consequences of this shift, suggesting that there is a need for organizational policies that set clear work boundaries and establish support systems for family caregiving. Without such measures, remote work risks tethering women even more tightly to traditional gender roles, reducing the potential for career growth.

Goldin’s research provides a roadmap for companies seeking to mitigate the unintended consequences of remote work for women. She highlights the dramatic impact remote work has had on economic and social structures overall, from changes in commercial and residential real estate prices to shifts in family dynamics. “It has also changed aspects of the economy that we could never have imagined,” she says, emphasizing how deeply this shift has impacted working patterns and society as a whole.

By recognizing the complexity of remote work’s impact on women, employers have the opportunity to shape policies that empower, rather than constrain, their female employees. But true gender equity in the workplace will require more than remote access. It calls for intentional policy design and a rethinking of career advancement frameworks that reflect the evolving dynamics of work and home life alike. By focusing on structural improvements alongside remote work options, companies can leverage flexibility as a tool for gender equity rather than a barrier.