Impact of the digitalization of employment on the work-family balance: Russians’ subjective assessments

The development of digital technology causes rapid transformation in the sphere of work and the emergence of new forms and formats of employment. The ongoing changes bring to the fore the issue of work-family balance, because it is necessary to promote the well-being of employees with children. The aim of our research is to study the impact of the digitalization of employment on the work-children balance. The empirical base includes findings of a survey of working age women and men, with work experience, living in the territory of the Russian Federation, and raising children under the age of 14 (N = 954); the survey was conducted in May - June 2023. Based on the data obtained, we reveal differences in satisfaction ratings among respondents who intensively use information and communication technologies and do not intensively use/do not use them in their work; the latter have a higher average satisfaction rate concerning the time spent on parental responsibilities. This indicates the ambiguous impact of information and communication technologies on the satisfaction rate regarding the time spent on parenthood. Second, there is no direct relationship between the amount of time parents spend with their children and subjective satisfaction with the time spent on parenthood; this is in line with the results of other studies. Third, we reveal a contradiction between a high assessment of the expected positive effect of a hybrid work format on the time spent on children and low satisfaction regarding the time spent on children in women that work under a hybrid employment scheme. The revealed contradiction indicates difficulties in the practical implementation of this work format, which significantly reduce women’s satisfaction regarding the time spent on parenthood. The determinants of this effect require further verification with the use of qualitative techniques.