Coordination Points: A Hidden Factor in Reconciling Work and Family Life

Abstract

Despite improvements in childcare provision since the implementation of the National Childcare Strategy in England in 1998, little is known about the practicalities of managing childcare and employment from a parental perspective. It is not recognised that dependent children have to be physically transported from home to the place of care/education, and if transported by the parent the latter usually also has to travel to their workplace in a different location. This article discusses the complexity involved in coordinating these events, the barriers posed to maternal employment, and the strategies used by working parents to overcome the difficulties. It presents an analysis of qualitative data from in-depth interviews with 40 mothers in a middle-sized city in England. The analysis exposes the additional work involved in temporally, spatially and physically coordinating childcare, education and work. It indicates that early education related to children's ages might have a greater influence on coordination difficulties, and therefore maternal employment, than the numbers of children in a family per se. The article argues that policy makers need to have a greater regard for the time and space dimensions attached to coordination, the coordination support provided by fathers and others (as opposed to childcare), transport issues and the need for fully integrated early years provision in all neighbourhoods.

Tipping the Balance: The Problematic Nature of Work–Life Balance in a Low-Income Neighbourhood

“…There were, similarly, accounts of how the complex transport logistics, sometimes associated with childcare arrangements, had to be factored into parents' calculations (cf. Skinner, 2005).…”

Commuting times – The role of gender, children and part-time work

“…also mean that travel to work is not straightforward, especially for parents, especially mothers (e.g. Jarvis, 1999;Kwan, 1999;Skinner, 2005). Rouwendal and Rietveld (1994) found that a lack of geographical mobility resulted in married workers having higher travel-to-work distances in the Netherlands.…”

Social exclusion, vulnerable groups and driving forces: Towards a social research based policy on car mobility

“…The car seems to be a great helper in reaching the necessary flexibility to live a modern and fruitful life, as noted in studies on the role of women (Craig, 2005;Dobbs, 2006Dobbs, , 2007Heine and Mantz, 1999;Skinner, 2003;Schwanen, 2007b) and on time scarcity (Gershuny, 2005;Hjortol, 2005;Skinner, 2005;Southerton, 2003).…”