Sandwich Generation Working Women: Is Telework Key or Hindrance to Unleashing Their Full Potential at Work and Beyond?

Technology has allowed for numerous working activities, traditionally performed in a pre-determined venue, to happen remotely, including from home. Telework, in the many shapes that it can take, has been mainstreamed during the COVID-19 pandemic to allow for social distancing. In the post-pandemic, it is widely relied upon as an effective family-supportive measure. This chapter entails a gender-oriented reflection on telework from the specific angle of sandwich generation working women, thus a generation of women who are particularly charged with unpaid caregiving tasks on behalf of both their ascendants and descendants. The reflection is conducted in the light of UN Sustainable Development Goal 5 (SDG 5), whereby recognizing and valuing unpaid care and domestic work is pivotal to both achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls (target 4). The question is whether telework is key or rather hindrance to unleashing the potential of sandwich generation working women, which is particularly relevant an issue in the public sector not only because of the large number of women employees, but also because it can prove an appropriate arena where to start looking for much-needed answers.