Remote Work is a Feminist Issue

And the unpleasant, revealing answer as to why some bosses now won’t let you do it

Every weekday just after 3pm, I stop work to go pick up my daughter. I don’t have to do this: because I don’t drive, I am just along for the ride with my husband. But I want to greet my six-year-old right after dismissal and get a sweet hug from her in the school foyer. We go from there to swimming or chorus or the farmer’s market, and host a playdate and dinner with her best friend at our house one day a week too. I don’t return to work until after her bedtime at 7.30pm, when I usually pick right back up where I left off with editing and emails and administrative duties—or writing for you, dear readers. My parenting and work lives are busy, certainly, but happily compatible thanks to a co-equal parenting partner and a flexible schedule. With the exception of my teaching duties and in-person speaking appearances, I mostly work remotely.

Unfortunately, some bosses despise people like me and arrangements like mine. And what predicts their antagonism? A new study suggests a disturbing, one-word answer.