Moonlighting Husbands or Working Wives

Abstract

In households where the husband is the primary income earner, family income may be augmented either by the husband taking a second job (moonlighting) or by the wife obtaining a first job. In this article, binary logit estimating techniques are employed to investigate empirically the types of factors affecting this decision. The data used in the empirical analysis are Wave X (1977) of the University of Michigan's Panel Study of Income Dynamics. The authors find that the relative labor market opportunities of the husband and the wife, the value of the alternative uses of the wife's time, and the attitudes of both the husband and the wife toward the wife's market work all play a significant and predictable role as determinants of moonlighting. The policy implications of these findings are discussed.

Employee moonlighting: a review and research agenda

“…Regarding studies addressing gender and moonlighting intentions in a study by Winters (2010), it was found that male teachers, especially teachers with advanced degrees, are likelier to moonlight. Researchers have found moonlighting more prevalent in males than females (Alper and Morlock, 1982;Asravor, 2021;Fitchett et al, 2016;Magadley, 2021). However, one past study concluded that there was no such gender disparity regarding moonlighting intention (Averett, 2001).…”

“…Thus, moonlighters are constrained by workweek or hour restrictions (Tazhitdinova, 2022). Moonlighting by individuals is also affected by relative labor market opportunities (Alper and Morlock, 1982) and cyclical changes (Partridge, 2002). Likewise, the absence or unclarity of regulatory mechanisms allows for excessive engagement in moonlighting (Amde et al, 2018).…”

Familiengründung und gewünschter Erwerbsumfang vonMännern – Eine Längsschnittanalyse für die alten Bundesländer / The Influence of Fatherhood on PreferredWorking Hours: A Longitudinal Study for Germany

“…Hier wurde in den 1980er Jahren unter dem Stichwort der "moonlighting husbands" erstmals ausführlich der Zusammenhang zwischen familialer Situation und Arbeitsangebot -zumeist anhand von Querschnittsdaten -untersucht (Dempster-McClain/ Moen 1989, Alper/Morlock 1982. Diese Analysen zeigen, dass Väter eher zu einer Ausweitung ihrer Arbeitszeit durch Ausübung einer Nebenbeschäfti-gung oder Überstunden tendieren als kinderlose Männer (Dempster-McClain/Moen 1989, Moen/ Moorehouse 1983.…”