REDEFINING DOMESTIC SPACE FOR WOMEN WORKING FROM HOME IN URBAN LAHORE

Abstract

The growing normalization of work-from-home (WFH) has transformed domestic interiors into hybrid environments where professional work, household activities, and care responsibilities increasingly overlap. This study examined how domestic space is being redefined for women working from home in urban Lahore, with particular attention to workspace adequacy, privacy, domestic pressure, spatial adaptation, family dynamics, and interior-design needs. A sequential mixed-methods design was employed, comprising a quantitative questionnaire survey of 60 women working from home and 15 semi-structured interviews selected through maximum-variation purposive sampling. Quantitative data were analyzed using frequencies, percentages, means, standard deviations, composite scores, and descriptive subgroup comparisons, while interview data were analyzed thematically. Results showed that 85.0% of respondents lacked a dedicated workspace and commonly worked in bedrooms, living rooms, and shared family areas. Privacy was particularly limited (M = 1.78), while respondents reported high domestic pressure (M = 3.70), substantial spatial transformation (M = 4.07), and a strong need for home-design improvement (M = 4.30). Women without dedicated workspaces and those living in joint-family households experienced comparatively poorer workspace adequacy and greater domestic pressure. The qualitative analysis identified seven interconnected themes concerning hybrid and multifunctional domestic space, negotiated privacy, fragmentation of professional work by domestic and care responsibilities, family negotiation and recognition, workspace quality, spatial adaptation and improvisation, and preference for flexible but clearly defined work-supportive design. Overall, the findings demonstrate that the redefinition of domestic space is both a physical and social process. The study highlights the need for flexible, ergonomic, privacy-supportive, multifunctional, and gender-responsive residential design strategies suited to the socio-spatial realities of urban Lahore.