ABSTRACT
How and where we work has a major impact on our lives, on the economy and, currently, on global warming. A century in which going out to work has been the dominant working practice has resulted in home-based work being overlooked at every level of society. Both Margaret Thatcher and David Cameron have identified being Prime Minister as living above the shop, with Cameron reporting that, ‘far from seeing less of [his family]’ as Prime Minister, ‘it was actually easier’ because of this. 1 But people tend to have a stereotype in mind when they think of home-based work: maybe exploited piece-working manufacturers, penniless artists in their lofts or start-up entrepreneurs. And as a result they do not generally identify their political leaders, their neighbours, or even themselves as being members of this workforce. On a recent research trip to visit Singaporean shop-houses, I heard from a public sector worker that there is no contemporary home-based work in Singapore. When I probed his own lifestyle, however, it emerged that he works at home regularly, often until 3 a.m. Having his desk in the bedroom makes it difficult for his wife to sleep and so he is in the process of building an extra, dedicated, workroom.
