Dual-earner couples and remote/hybrid work
Dr Mayra Ruiz-Castro
Please outline the work you lead and how it relates to progressing gender equality
One of my current research project examines the experiences of dual-earner couples - where both partners work – under different work arrangements, involving remote and hybrid work. Unlike studies that focus solely on work-life conflict, I explore how these arrangements influence self-perception, couple dynamics, and professional outcomes.
The first phase of this project involved joint interviews with 34 couples during the COVID-19 pandemic, where at least one partner worked fully or partially from home. A key focus of the analysis was on gender dynamics, revealing different approaches. For instance, some couples organised themselves in ways that led to the female partner working fewer hours, taking on a greater share of childcare and housework, and experiencing more anxiety. Others engaged more actively in negotiation, implementing strategies to balance responsibilities and support each other’s careers. Some couples recognised tensions but took no action to address them. Overall, while some couples reinforced traditional gender roles, others used remote/hybrid work to reshape their household and careers in unexpected ways, demonstrating that remote/hybrid work can be leveraged - not just to improve work-life balance, but to drive more meaningful progress in gender equality. Identifying these different couple configurations help us understand more deeply how remote and hybrid work can serve as an enabler of household resilience and greater gender equality at home and in the workplace.
What has inspired and motivated you to progress this work?
As with most qualitative researchers, my motivation for this line of inquiry stems from both theoretical and personal perspectives. As a scholar of gender, work, and organisations, I have long been interested in how domestic and work spheres interact to shape identity, career trajectories, and professional outcomes. The COVID-19 pandemic provided a unique moment of disruption, revealing new work arrangements and couple/family dynamics, including changes in roles and responsibilities and the underlying inequalities. It also served as a catalyst for reflection and action - making it imperative to document and understand these changes.
On a personal level, my experience as a working mother during the pandemic increased my awareness of the challenges dual-earner households face, particularly in balancing work and family demands while maintaining well-being. This insight has deepened my commitment to producing research that not only advances academic debates but also provides meaningful insights and recommendations for families, employers and policymakers. We mustn’t simply move on from the pandemic but continue to observe and learn from it, recognising how it has shaped our personal and working lives in more lasting ways.
How do you hope that this work will make a difference to promote gender equality and have you seen any impact so far?
With my research, I aim to provide unique insights for employers and policymakers, helping them understand what happens within homes and how this inevitably influences how people engage with work. Do employers recognise how the work arrangements they offer—such as hybrid working—shape how individuals perceive themselves? Do they understand that people make sense of their experiences through conversations and negotiations within their homes, which in turn influence career decisions? Are they aware of the skills people transfer from work to home that help them manage work-life more effectively? And what if we provided families with tools to build resilience, thereby enhancing working lives and supporting gender equality both at home and in the workplace?
Part of our findings have been disseminated through mini-films and executive summaries, reaching MPs, corporate leaders, families, and advocacy organisations. Looking ahead, I aim to continue this impact by collaborating with stakeholders to identify the most pressing issues and develop resources that help organisations better understand people’s realities and equip dual-earner couples with strategies for greater work-life resilience.
What did you enjoy most about this piece of work and do you have any plans going forward?
What I found most valuable and rewarding was the opportunity to interview 34 dual-earner couples. The joint interview method provided a unique window into the relational dynamics of dual-earner households, allowing me to see how partners navigate work-life on a daily-basis. The interviews were highly insightful - it always amazed me how much couples were willing to share about their relationships, struggles, and positive aspects. Many times, I laughed with them, and at moments, I had to compose myself when they shared deeply moving stories. It was particularly gratifying to witness how couples adapt, innovate and, in many cases, reshape their relationships in ways that built their resilience, strengthened their connection, and fostered greater gender equality within their homes.
Going forward, I plan to build on this research by conducting a follow-up study on how dual-earner couples have adapted post-pandemic. This phase will examine whether the work-life changes we observed have endured and how employer and government policies have influenced these trends. I also intend to develop an employer-focused resource package and explore avenues for integrating findings into policy discussions on flexible work and family support.
Please share any publications or resources from your work that would like to highlight
- Mini-films based on the research findings:
- Forthcoming book chapter in Routledge Companion to Gender and the Family
- Academic papers in progress for submission to top international journals