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Employed women more likely than employed men to work at home on days they worked in 2021

July 01, 2022

Employed women were more likely than employed men to work at home on days they worked in 2021. Both groups were more likely to work at home in 2021 than they were in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic began. Employed women and men were equally likely to work at home in 2003.

Percent of employed people who worked at home on days they worked, by sex, averages for 2003–21
Year Total, 15 years and older Men Women

2003

18.6% 18.1% 19.3%

2004

19.2 19.3 19.1

2005

19.6 20.7 18.3

2006

21.1 21.6 20.6

2007

19.9 19.9 19.9

2008

21.1 20.0 22.4

2009

23.6 23.4 23.8

2010

23.6 22.9 24.5

2011

21.3 20.6 22.2

2012

23.2 23.2 23.3

2013

22.9 23.0 22.8

2014

23.1 23.8 22.2

2015

24.1 23.9 24.2

2016

22.3 21.3 23.6

2017

23.4 21.5 25.7

2018

23.7 23.3 24.2

2019

23.7 21.8 26.2

2021

38.1 35.3 41.5

Note: Annual 2020 estimates cannot be produced due to the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on data collection.

On days they worked at home, employed people spent more than twice as much time working at home in 2021 (5.6 hours) as they did in 2003 (2.6 hours). The largest change in hours worked at home occurred between 2019 (3.3 hours) and 2021, showing continued use of expanded telework during the COVID-19 pandemic. Women spent about the same time working at home as did men in both 2021 and 2003.

Average hours worked at home on days employed people worked, by sex, averages for 2003–21
Year Total, 15 years and older Men Women

2003

2.56 2.51 2.62

2004

2.83 3.15 2.44

2005

2.59 2.59 2.59

2006

2.64 2.60 2.70

2007

2.82 2.83 2.80

2008

2.90 3.03 2.74

2009

2.98 3.12 2.81

2010

2.96 2.91 3.02

2011

2.88 2.72 3.06

2012

3.01 3.07 2.93

2013

2.99 3.16 2.78

2014

3.17 3.41 2.86

2015

3.22 3.31 3.11

2016

3.13 3.28 2.95

2017

3.13 3.02 3.24

2018

2.94 3.11 2.74

2019

3.27 3.01 3.53

2021

5.61 5.77 5.45

Note: Annual 2020 estimates cannot be produced due to the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on data collection.

These data are from the American Time Use Survey. These averages include all time spent working at home, regardless of whether the work was done on a scheduled workday. The charts do not include annual estimates for 2020 because those estimates cannot be produced due to the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on data collection. For more information, see “American Time Use Survey — 2021 Results.” We also have more charts on American Time Use Survey data.

SUGGESTED CITATION

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, Employed women more likely than employed men to work at home on days they worked in 2021 at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2022/employed-women-more-likely-than-employed-men-to-work-at-home-on-days-they-worked-in-2021.htm (visited April 25, 2024).

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