Research on sex segregation in the labor market has repeatedly found that women and men are more likely to exit from occupations and firms in which they are the numerical minority and subsequently seek positions that are more represented by their gender. Data from the German social security insurance system show, however, that gender compositions of occupations and firms jointly shape attrition from gender-atypical positions, which ultimately perpetuates labor market segregation.

Digitalization increases working-time flexibility, but also the risk of longer hours. Using pairfam data, the article investigates the moderating role of job and family commitment.

Regression analyses reveal changes in pre-pandemic gender- and parental-status-specific differences in remote working — not only when strict social distancing measures were in place, but also after they were lifted.

Innovative leaps in digital technology alongside changing gender roles in society may open a window of opportunity to renegotiate gendered work patterns. Does digitalisation hold the potential to reorganise gendered work relations - and if so: why?

The study investigates workers' non-use of telework in German workplaces. The authors ask to what degree cultural barriers, besides technical barriers, contribute to the non-use of telework. Regression analyses using LPP data show that women - independent of their status positions - are more likely to forgo telework due to perceived cultural barriers.

How do national-level work–life balance policies shape the role of flextime in maternal labor market re-entry after childbirth? Yvonne Lott (WSI) analyzes whether mothers’ and partners’ flextime facilitates maternal labor market re-entry after childbirth in Germany, where family policy reforms have been implemented in the last two decades. The analysis indicates that generous national-level work–life balance policies can diminish the effectiveness of organizational work–life balance policies for mothers’ employment behavior.

The study investigates workers' reasons for not working from home in German workplaces. Yvonne Lott (WSI) and Anja Abendroth (University Bielefeld) ask to what degree cultural barriers, besides technical barriers, are reasons for not working from home. Regression analyses using LPP data show that women - independent of their status positions - are more likely not to work from home due to perceived cultural barriers.

The study examines the extent to which the use of part-time work and parental leave is accepted in German workplaces. Interviews with 95 employees and 26 experts in hospitals, police stations and industrial companies indicate that working-time norms not only vary according to gender, but to position and profession. Staffing issues and the behavior of management personnel are decisive for acceptance, and thus for the work behavior of employees.