A gender breakdown of unexpected benefits generated by work from home in STEM fields - A qualitative analysis of the WiMPBME Task Group survey

Bezak E 1 , Sharrad KJ 2 , Marcu LG 3 , Stoeva M 4 , Lhotska L 5 , Barabino G 6 Show all authors , Ibrahim F 7 , Lim S 8 , Kaldoudi E 9 , Marques da Silva AM 10 , Tan PH 11 , Tsapaki V 12 , Frize M 13

Affiliations 

  • 1 AHHP, University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA 5001, Australia; Women in Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering Task Group of the International Union of Physical and Engineering Sciences in Medicine, Australia. Electronic address: eva.bezak@unisa.edu.au
  • 2 Houd Research Group, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
  • 3 AHHP, University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA 5001, Australia; Faculty of Informatics & Science, University of Oradea, 1 Universitatii Str, 410087 Oradea, Romania; Women in Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering Task Group of the International Union of Physical and Engineering Sciences in Medicine, Australia
  • 4 Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Medical University of Plovdiv, Plovdiv, Bulgaria; Women in Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering Task Group of the International Union of Physical and Engineering Sciences in Medicine, Australia
  • 5 Faculty of Biomedical Engineering, Czech Technical University in Prague, Prague 6, Czech Republic; Women in Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering Task Group of the International Union of Physical and Engineering Sciences in Medicine, Australia
  • 6 Olin College of Engineering, Needham, MA 02492, USA; Women in Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering Task Group of the International Union of Physical and Engineering Sciences in Medicine, Australia
  • 7 Department of Biomedical Engineering and Centre for Innovation in Medical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Women in Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering Task Group of the International Union of Physical and Engineering Sciences in Medicine, Australia
  • 8 School of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 637457, Singapore; Women in Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering Task Group of the International Union of Physical and Engineering Sciences in Medicine, Australia
  • 9 School of Medicine, Democritus University of Thrace, Alexandroupoli, Greece; Women in Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering Task Group of the International Union of Physical and Engineering Sciences in Medicine, Australia
  • 10 School of Technology, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, PUCRS, Porto Alegre, Brazil; Women in Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering Task Group of the International Union of Physical and Engineering Sciences in Medicine, Australia
  • 11 School of Engineering, Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Singapore; Women in Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering Task Group of the International Union of Physical and Engineering Sciences in Medicine, Australia
  • 12 Medical Physics Department, Konstantopoulio General Hospitals, Athens, Greece; Women in Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering Task Group of the International Union of Physical and Engineering Sciences in Medicine, Australia
  • 13 Dept of Systems and Computer Engineering, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6, Canada
Phys Med, 2025 Jan 08;130:104897.
PMID: 39787677 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmp.2025.104897

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Working from home during the Covid-19 pandemic was perceived differently by men and women working in STEM fields. The aim of this paper is to highlight the unexpected benefits generated by working from home during the pandemic.

METHODS: Qualitative methodology was used to analyze data, collected via survey. The survey designed and conducted by WiMPBME targeted both males and females working in medical-related STEM fields (physics and engineering) and was answered by 921 individuals from 76 countries across all continents. This report analysed the responses to one open-ended question of the survey, namely: "What is the one positive that you have learnt/experienced as a result of working from home during this pandemic?".

RESULTS: 594 responded to the question of interest. Access to home office was reported by 72.2% of survey participants. Males were more likely than females to report no positives of working from home (62.9%). Females were more likely to cite quality time, physical and mental health as positive factors than males, and to mention children in their responses. The most commonly coded thematic unit for males was remote working, with many males reporting the feasibility of working from home. Increased work productivity, better time management and work organisation were other common themes highlighted by responders irrespective of gender.

CONCLUSION: The findings of the survey show the diversity of perceptions about remote working in STEM fields, while highlighting the importance of considering family dynamics, individual circumstances as well as gender when evaluating varied experiences of STEM professionals.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

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