Silvia Donato, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore – Milano, Italy
published in the Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Love and Relationship Studies, 6-8 March, 2026
You can see the full video recording of this presentation at the YouTube channel of the International Institute of Love Studies
Introduction
The modern forms of hybrid work have transformed homes into shared professional arenas, challenging not only boundaries between work and family relationship but also the dynamics of love and partnership. While boundary management theory (Ashforth et al., 2000; Clark, 2000) has long emphasized the importance of physical and psychological boundaries in sustaining balance between work and personal life, empirical research has rarely examined how home workspaces function as boundary resources, nor how these dynamics unfold within couples. The aim of this qualitative study is to investigate how home workspaces shape boundary management as well as relational experiences among female academics and their partners, adopting a dyadic lens to explore negotiations of space, time, and care.
Methodology and Methods
In this study, I interviewed ten Italian couples (N=20 participants), consisting of a female academic and a male partner working at least 2 days a week from home. The interviews covered the perception of role boundaries between one’s family and professional roles, the organization of the home workspace, and strategies for boundary management. I asked participants such questions as:
- Thinking of yourself as a worker and as a family member, which of these seven images [7 pairs of increasingly overlapping circles; inspired by Aron et al. (1992)] best represents the relationship between these two roles in your life? Why?
- Can you describe your workspace or workstation when you work from home?
- What helps/does not help you in managing the relationship between these two roles when you work at home?
- Do you feel that your home workspace helps or hinders your ability to manage work and family roles? Why?
The responses of participants were analyzed through thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006), a qualitative data analysis technique which allows for the identification of recurring concepts or themes emerging from interview transcriptions. Following the guidelines by Kiger and Varpio (2020), the analysis proceeded along six phases: (1) familiarization, (2) generation of initial codes, (3) search for themes, (4) review of themes, (5) definition and naming of themes, (6) reporting of results.
Highlights of Results
The findings in the study revealed the five themes that emerged during interviews: (1) meanings of boundaries between family and work roles; (2) the critical role of workspace in boundary management; (3) boundary management as a relational process; (4) the influence of partner negotiation; and (5) the impact of socio-cultural norms. In particular, participants frequently conflated boundary management with work–life balance, underscoring the conceptual and relational complexity of disentangling these processes within intimate partnerships.
The physical environment emerged as a pivotal factor in boundary regulation and, indirectly, in relational wellbeing. Participants reported that the absence of dedicated workspaces intensified role blurring, while personalized, fixed workstations facilitated a sense of professionalism and identity protection. Temporal arrangements also played a crucial role: while men enjoyed relatively stable schedules, women’s work rhythms were fragmented by caregiving responsibilities, reinforcing structural inequalities in time sovereignty.
Most importantly, boundary management was described as a relational phenomenon. Partners acted as “role senders,” influencing the permeability of domains through their behaviors, expectations, and expressions of care. Nonetheless, negotiations around space and time were rare and often implicit, perpetuating gendered patterns of resource allocation and uncovering an overlooked arena for couple communication. Extending the analysis to the context around the couple, cultural ideals of intensive motherhood and academic norms of constant productivity tend to compound these pressures, turning the home into a site where love, care, and professional aspirations collide.
Discussion and Conclusions
These findings suggest that domestic workspaces are not neutral backdrops; They actively shape daily interactions, boundary practices, and power dynamics within the couple, contributing to the construction—or erosion—of relational wellbeing and gender equality when couples work from home. The ability of partners to set boundaries and negotiate resources can foster resilience and relational satisfaction, while the absence of boundaries risks reinforcing gendered hierarchies and relational strain.
By framing boundary management as a relational and cultural phenomenon, this study contributes to understanding how partnerships adapt to, or struggle with, the demands and constraints of hybrid and remote work. Implications of the results highlight the need for promoting explicit negotiations within couples and organizational policies that recognize the emotional and relational dimensions of remote work.
References
Aron, A., Aron, E. N., & Smollan, D. (1992). Inclusion of other in the self scale and the structure of interpersonal closeness. Journal of personality and social psychology, 63(4), 596.
Ashforth, B. E., Kreiner, G. E., & Fugate, M. (2000). All in a day’s work: Boundaries and micro role transitions. Academy of Management Review, 25(3), 472–491.
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101.
Clark, S. C. (2000). Work/family border theory: A new theory of work/family balance. Human Relations, 53(6), 747–770.
Kiger, M. E., & Varpio, L. (2020). Thematic analysis of qualitative data: AMEE Guide No. 131. Medical Teacher, 42(8), 846–854.
Key words: couple relationship, family relationship, couple negotiation, role boundary, domestic workspace