New Hybrid Work and Gendered Domestic Responsibilities in Sweden: Equalizer or Reinforcer?

We examine the gendered implications of intensified working from home (WFH) and the normalization of hybrid work in Sweden. Using nationally representative time-use data collected after the lifting of pandemic-related WFH recommendations, we investigate whether increased time spent at home under WFH conditions affects gender gaps in unpaid labor. Focusing on WFH preferences and the daily allocation of time, we compare women’s and men’s activities on WFH and office-based days. While access to WFH has become more gender-equal, domestic responsibilities remain unevenly shared. Gender gaps in childcare and routine household tasks persist—and in some cases widen—on WFH days. Women’s WFH decisions are more caregiving driven, while men’s are shaped by occupational factors. These findings complicate optimistic expectations that spatial and temporal flexibility supports gender-equal outcomes, showing instead that hybrid work may reinforce traditional divisions of labor, even in contexts with strong institutional support for gender equality.