Uprooting or wanderlust? occupational mobility and mobility requirements of "digital nomads". a swiss-german perspective

Occupational mobility is not only an essential narrative of contemporary societies but is also already a gainful employment requirement of the proletariat or the hobos during industrialization. In the 21st century, the requirement of mobility is continued by figures such as the "digital nomads". These mobility requirements can be accompanied by a feeling of freedom and self-determination, but also by a lonely and unattached drive. These structural, psychosocial aspects of occupational mobility and contradictions in the way of living are analyzed in this article on one hand in terms of sociology, gender theory and occupational psychology. The theoretical results are on the other hand contrasted by narratives of swiss-german digital nomads captured during email interviews and group video chats. The interviews were a preliminary study of the later founded and ongoing project "Work-Life-Balance 4.0" (2018-2019) by the Swiss federal office for gender equality (FOGE).