New technologies, work and parenting: New forms of work flexibility and how they affect men’s involvement in child care

Abstract

Studies about the use of information and communication technology (ICTs) for the organization of work and about its role on work-life balance have often thrown ambiguous or contradictory results. However, the emergence and widespread use of wireless ICTs are yielding intense changes in social practice, including the work-life interface. Through in-depth interviews, a group of fathers under different work arrangements have reflected upon how they use the potential for mobility, connectivity and flexibility offered by new ICTs and upon how such use affects their involvement in their parenting roles. Consistently with research works from other countries, preliminary results suggest that the role assigned to ICTs as a tool for the emancipation of men from their gender roles through greater involvement in the material and emotional care of their children often depends upon factors unrelated to the use of such technology--personal motivation, partner's attitude and perception of the father's ability to perform such role, or existing macro and micro work-life policies among organizations.