Boundary struggles during the COVID-19 pandemic: Experiences of remote /hybrid working women in Ankara

Date

2024-11

Author

Topaktaş, Banu

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This thesis examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic through the lens of Social Reproduction Theory (SRT), focusing on the boundary struggles between women's paid and unpaid labour. The study examines the interaction between paid and unpaid labour within the capitalist system and highlights how the pandemic has intensified and exposed these boundary struggles. During the COVID-19 pandemic, in-depth interviews were conducted with 18 women working in the Information Technologies, Banking/Finance, and Education sectors in Ankara. The analysis reveals that COVID-19 has exacerbated the care crisis inherent in capitalism and exposed the deep-rooted conflict between production labour and social reproduction labour. The study presents data across five themes, emphasizing three critical components of social reproduction labour: household chores, care labour, and social relations. The findings highlight the necessity of addressing the care crisis as a fundamental consequence of capitalist structures and reveal that this issue transcends individual work-life conflicts and originates from more profound structural difficulties. It is thought that this thesis will contribute to the discussions on the care crisis by showing that the problems women face during the pandemic are not only a matter of work-life balance but also reflections of structural inequalities inherent in the capitalist system. Moreover, the research's findings can add to the debates about remote and hybrid working models.

Subject Keywords

Social reproduction theory, COVID-19, Work-life balance, Care crisis, Remote work

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/11511/112275

Collections

Graduate School of Social Sciences, Thesis