Lone mothers' time allocations: choices and satisfactions

Abstract

This paper uses the 2006 Australian Time Use Survey to examine the allocation of time to personal care, employment-related activities, home duties, leisure and child care of lone mothers, in comparison to the time allocations of single women, women in childless couples and partnered mothers. Both primary and secondary time allocations are considered. The satisfactions that women report concerning their current time allocations are also analysed. The time use and satisfaction data are described using both tabulations and multiple regression methods. Lone mothers are shown to have similar time allocations as the other types of households, even though they have different financial and time resources. This raises the concern that lone mothers' desire or need to maintain such time allocations may lead to task overload. Consistent with this, lone mothers are found to be less satisfied with the way they allocate their time than single women and partnered mothers. The tensions associated with time use among lone mothers discussed in the literature are real, and important.

In-the-moment experiences of mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder: a comparison by household status and region of residence

“…Unlike the previous results that found single mothers spent significantly less time in childcare activities than coupled mothers [97], the current study found no significant differences between single and coupled mothers, except time spent in resting or nothing and organizing medical or therapy appointments for children. These findings are similar to the results of an Australian study that found comparable time allocations in everyday activities across different types of households, including single and coupled mothers [10]. Perhaps no difference in time-use between single and coupled mothers indicates that single mothers carry the same burden of responsibility as their counterparts alone [10].…”

“…Participants' demographic characteristics were also included in the analysis as level 2 independent variables: single versus coupled household status, and regional versus major city region of residence. In addition, the level 2 independent variables included other variables that have been found to be associated with the everyday experiences of parents of children with disability: 1) ASD diagnosis (HFA, AS, PDD-NOS versus autistic disorder), 2) age of child with ASD (5 to 11 years old versus older than 11 years old), and 3) total number of children (two or more children versus one child) [9,10,64,65]. A fixed regression coefficient (β) and standard errors (SE) were used to evaluate the associations between dependent and independent variables.…”

“…It is well documented that domestic tasks add to the everyday demands for mothers in addition to childcare [8,9]. Similarly, some child-related factors, such as having young children [10] or children with disabilities [6,9,11,12], increase the intensity of everyday parental activities.…”

Quality of Life, Coping Styles, Stress Levels, and Time Use in Mothers of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders: Comparing Single Versus Coupled Households

“…The current result may indicate that single versus coupled household status does not contribute to the difference in time use among mothers of children with ASD. A study conducted in Australia, found no statistically significant difference between single and coupled mothers in everyday time use (Craig & Mullan, 2012;Le & Miller, 2013). However, an earlier study that compared family life experiences between single and coupled mothers of children with a disability found that single mothers of children with a disability experienced more time pressures than coupled mothers (Schilling, Kirkham, Snow, & Schinke, 1986).…”

Lone Parent Activation in Ireland: Putting the Cart before the Horses?

“…There are a number of positive aspects to employment, such as increases in self‐esteem, feelings of independence, higher levels of social integration being a good role model (London et al ; Casebourne et al , ; Ray et al ) and less negative parenting styles (Jackson et al ). However, some lone parents reported financial strain (Gyamfi et al ; Carnochan et al ; Lightman et al ; Good Gingrich , ; Breitkreuz and Williamson ; Cook ) and employment participation resulted in increases in parenting stress, depression (Gyamfi et al ) exhaustion and overburden (London et al ; Buland and Lippmann ; Casebourne et al ; Good Gingrich ) and less satisfaction in time allocation with their family (Lee and Miller ). Working part time is marginally more beneficial, provided that in‐work supports are adequate, with housing support seen as a significant advantage, particularly as employment expenses can often reduce financial gains (Casebourne et al ).…”