Freelancers in Germany's Old and New Media Industry: Beyond Standard Patterns of Work and Life?

Abstract

The paper addresses potential changes in the patterns of work and private life among freelancers in Germany's media industry (journalists, designers, software developers). In the first step, we analyze how freelance workers have been integrated into Germany's regulations for the labor market. Our analysis points to important differences between the professional groups. In a second step, we ask whether freelancers in the German media industry fit the picture of workaholics. Our interviews with freelancers show that only a minority has thoroughly blurred the boundaries between work and life, while most others still draw a clear line between the two. Findings on partnerships reveal that structurally equal dual-earner arrangements are widespread, but are not the only type of gender arrangement. An important group opts for structurally specialized arrangements based on traditional as well as reversed gender roles. In the final discussion we assess to what extent German trends in the changing patterns of work and life converge with those in the US and in the UK.