Non-standard work schedules, gender, and parental stress

Abstract

BACKGROUNDWorking non-standard hours changes the temporal structure of family life, constraining the time that family members spend with one another and threatening individuals" wellbeing. However, the empirical research on the link between stress and non-standard schedules has provided mixed results. Some studies have indicated that working nonstandard hours is harmful whereas others have suggested that working atypical hours might facilitate the balance between family and work. Moreover, there is some evidence that the association between stress and non-standard employment has different implications for men and women. OBJECTIVEThis paper examines the association between non-standard work schedules and stress among dual-earner couples with children. Two research questions are addressed. First, do predictability of the schedule and time flexibility moderate the link between nonstandard work hours and stress? Second, do non-standard schedules affect men"s and women"s perceptions of stress differently? METHODSWe use a sample of 1,932 working parents from the Canadian 2010 General Social Survey, which includes a time-use diary. A sequential logit regression analysis stratified by gender is employed to model two types of result. First, we estimate the odds of being stressed versus not being stressed. Second, for all respondents feeling stressed, we estimate the odds of experiencing high levels versus moderate levels of stress. RESULTSOur analysis shows that the link between non-standard working hours and perceived stress differs between mothers and fathers. First, fathers with non-standard schedules appear more likely to experience stress than those working standard hours, although the results are not significant. Among mothers, having a non-standard schedule is associated with a significantly lower risk of experiencing stress. Second, the analysis focusing on the mediating role of flexibility and predictability indicates that predictability is more important than flexibility. Workers with non-standard predictable schedules exhibit a lower risk of being stressed than those with non-standard unpredictable hours. Work flexibility does not seem to bring any additional advantage to women. However, it is linked to higher odds of being stressed for fathers, particularly among those having non-standard schedules.

Non-standard Schedules, Work–Family Conflict, and the Moderating Role of National Labour Context: Evidence from 32 European Countries

“…Country-specific analyses revealed that effects were statistically significant in 23 of the 32 countries. In contrast to previous findings (e.g., Lozano et al, 2016;Maume & Sebastian, 2012;Mills & Täht, 2010;Presser, 2003), these effects did not depend on the gender of the worker or the age and presence of children in the household. Sensitivity analyses do, however, indicate that effects of nonstandard hours and days on WFC are significantly stronger for women when dichotomized measures of nonstandard hours and days are used, suggesting that gender differences only emerge when studying those who only or very regularly work nonstandard schedules.…”

“…The lack of significant gender interactions is surprising when one reflects on previous research that found that these schedules lead to greater WFC when occupied by women (e.g., Kalil et al, 2010;Lozano et al, 2016;Maume & Sebastian, 2012;Mills & Täht, 2010 whether the respondent has a child under 5, respectively; Appendix J-1) shows no significant interactions and indicates that the effects of the regularity of nonstandard hour and day work are relatively consistent regardless of the presence of children. These null findings remain when using dichotomized measures of nonstandard hours and days (Appendix J-2).…”

“…Such a finding is perhaps not surprising when one considers that the regulation of working time has been a central focus for collective bargaining in Europe historically (Keune, 2006). In many Western European countries, collective bargaining has focused on promoting a range of flexible working time measures, which can buffer the negative family side-effects of nonstandard hours and days (Deutsch, 1999;Lozano et al, 2016;Staines & Pleck, 1986). Bargaining at the country level is also important in tailoring policy measures specific to nonstandard schedule work.…”

“…Nonstandard schedules can also enhance work-family balance if coupled with flexibility and predictability (Fenwick & Tausig, 2001;Lozano, Hamplová, & Le Bourdais, 2016;Staines & Pleck, 1986). Such findings highlight the important channels of self-selection into nonstandard schedules and the potential of labour institutions to buffer their negative effects on family life.…”

Demographic analysis of the sex mortality differences

“…Takođe, vrlo je verovatno da su izloženi većem stepenu stresa koji je povezan sa poslovima koje obavljaju kao i sa svojom ulogom u porodici i društvu (Lynch et al, 2004). Fleksibilno radno vreme povoljnije utiče na žene, dok muškarcima donosi veći stres (Lozano et al, 2016). Rizično ponašanje je povezano sa nižim socijalnim statusom (Van den Berg et al, 2011).…”