Non-standard Work Schedules, Family Dynamics, and Mother-child Interactions During Early Childhood

• In Event: 381 - Section on the Sociology of the Family Refereed Roundtable Session and Business Meeting
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: Table 14. Work-Family and Children: Session II

Abstract

The rising number of parents who work nonstandard schedules has led to a growing body of research concerned with what this trend means for children. The negative outcomes for children of parents who work nonstandard hours are thought to arise from the disruptions these schedules introduce to family life and, through this channel, parents’ abilities to follow through on their efforts to cognitively and emotionally support children’s development, particularly when children are young. Using a nationally-representative sample of two-parent families (the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Birth cohort, n = 3,650), this study examined whether mothers’ and their partners’ nonstandard work schedules were associated with mothers’ parenting when children were two- and four-years old. Random effects models revealed that mothers’ and their partners’ nonstandard work schedules were associated with mothers’ lower scores on measures of positive and involved parenting than mothers who worked standard daytime schedules. These associations were mediated by fathers’ lower levels of participation in cognitively-supportive parenting and greater imbalance in cognitively-supportive tasks conducted by mothers versus fathers, providing considerations for policies supporting families with diverse work schedules.

Author

• Kate C. Prickett, The University of Chicago