It has been extensively debated over whether the rise of flexible working arrangements (FWAs) may be an “opportunity” for a more egalitarian gender division of household labor or reinforce the “exploitation” of women in the traditional gender division. Drawing on a linked-lives perspective, this study contributes to the literature by using longitudinal couple-level dyadic data in the UK (2010–2020) to examine how couple-level arrangements of flexible working affect within-couple inequality in time and different types of household labor. The results show that among heterosexual couples, women’s use of FWAs significantly intensifies their disproportionate share of housework and maintains their heavy childcare burden regardless of whether their husbands use FWAs. In contrast, men’s use of FWAs does not change the unequal gendered division of housework and childcare, even when their wives do not use any FWAs. These patterns of intensified gender inequalities are more pronounced in routine housework tasks (e.g., cooking, washing, and cleaning), and among the reduced hours and teleworking arrangements. Overall, rather than providing an “opportunity” for a more egalitarian division of household labor, the use of FWAs maintains or even exacerbates the “exploitation” of women under the existing traditional gender norms.

中文翻译：

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机会还是剥削？灵活工作安排与性别家庭劳动不平等的纵向二元分析

关于灵活工作安排（FWA）的兴起是否可能是家庭劳动性别分工更加平等的“机会”，还是加剧传统性别分工中对女性的“剥削”，这一问题引起了广泛的争论。本研究从联系生活的角度出发，利用英国夫妻层面的纵向二元数据（2010-2020）来研究夫妻层面的弹性工作安排如何影响夫妻内部在时间和不同类型上的不平等，从而为文献做出贡献。的家务劳动。结果表明，在异性夫妇中，无论丈夫是否使用 FWA，女性使用 FWA 都会显着加剧她们不成比例的家务劳动，并维持沉重的育儿负担。相比之下，男性使用 FWA 并不会改变家务和育儿方面的不平等性别分工，即使他们的妻子不使用任何 FWA。这些加剧的性别不平等模式在日常家务任务（例如做饭、洗衣和清洁）以及减少的工作时间和远程工作安排中更为明显。总体而言，家庭劳动的使用非但没有为更加平等的家庭劳动分工提供“机会”，反而维持甚至加剧了现有传统性别规范下对妇女的“剥削”。