If public perception often focuses on the discussion about Industry 4.0 and the related technical developments, this obscures the view of the high relevance of office work. Office work, and thus also clerical work, is affected by digitalisation processes in many ways.

Using the example of clerical work, Edelgard Kutzner, Melanie Roski, Lena Kaun and Ninja Ulland were able to show in their study at the Social Research Centre: The digitalisation of work can lead to changes in gender relations. However, the (re)ordering of gender relations does not follow a uniform pattern. They are contradictory. In general, it can be said that there is no such thing as digitalisation or the processes of digitalising work. Various development patterns have been identified, some of which run parallel to each other. They characterise the state of development of digitised work from a gender perspective, and they can be generalised and transferred to other areas of work. Ultimately, new forms of work organisation will determine whether digitalisation is more of a risk or an opportunity for greater gender equality. An essential prerequisite for changing entrenched gender-differentiating patterns in processes of digitisation of work lies in a consciously gender-sensitive and participatory design process.

Further information here: 

https://www.boeckler.de/de/faust-detail.htm?sync_id=HBS-008671

https://sfs.sowi.tu-dortmund.de/forschung/projekte/dags/

http://doi.org/10.1515/arbeit-2019-0023

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