Wired to the World, Chained to the Home

How does working at home change people's activity patterns,social networks, and their living and working spaces? How will itchange the way we plan houses and communities in the future? Willtelecommuting solve many of society's ills, or create newghettos?

Gurstein combines a background in planning, sociology of work, andfeminist theory with qualitative and quantitative data from ten yearsof original research, including in-depth interviews and surveys, tounderstand the socio-spatial impact of home-based work on daily lifepatterns. She analyzes the experiences of teleworkers includingemployees, independent contractors, and self-employed entrepreneurs,and presents significant findings regarding the workload, mobility, thedistinct differences according to work status and gender, and thetensions in trying to combine work and domestic activities in the samesetting. As organizational structures, technology, and familypriorities continue to change, the often overlooked phenomenon ofteleworkers has important implications on everything from employmentpolicies to community planning and design.