The Influence of Temporal Conditions of Employment Hours on Parental Care Time in the USA

• In Event: 273 - Regular Session. Sociology of Time Use

Abstract

The ability of parents to devote sufficient time to care work, and the size of the gender gap in care work, are both affected by the temporal conditions of employment. A common assumption in the work/family literature is that workplace flexibility and leave can reduce employment/care time tradeoffs (Jacobs and Gerson 2004). However, most studies have examined only aspects of the temporal conditions of employment that amplify negative effects of employment on care time. With one exception (Hill et al. 2013), studies have yet to explore how parents’ leave and schedule flexibility may mitigate the negative effects of employment on care time. We contribute by investigating how multiple dimensions of the temporal conditions of employment affect care time, and explore how these associations vary by education. We use nationally representative time diary data from the American Time Use Survey 2011 Leave Module. Preliminary results indicate stronger associations of leave and workplace flexibility with fathers’ care time than with mothers’ care time.

Authors

• Yue Qian, The Ohio State University

• Liana C. Sayer, University of Maryland