Working fathers: determinants of time allocation to work and family roles

ABSTRACT

Time is a valuable but scarce resource in both work and family domains. The ‘zero-sum’ nature of time means that an increase in hours allocated to work decreases that which is available for family responsibilities and vice versa. The work-family literature indicates that there are gender differences in work-family decision-making; however, the time use decisions of working fathers has received limited attention. This research considers behavioural changes in time allocation to work and non-work activities of male employees after their transition to fatherhood. The determinants of time allocated to work and family roles for fathers are considered via an analysis of data from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia survey. Results indicated that fathers’ country of birth and satisfaction with their partner were associated with most of their time use decisions.

KEYWORDS:

• Fathers
• time use
• work-family
• HILDA
• decision-making

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Man Mandy Fong

Man Mandy Fong is a PhD student within the School of Management at UNSW Australia Business School and conducts research in Human Resource Management and Organisational Behaviour. Her research interests are in the areas of diversity, marriage and parenthood, social capital and work-family interface. Prior to commencing the PhD program, she completed degrees in Science, Social Sciences and Commerce, with majors in Psychology, Social Science and Policy and Human Resource Management. In 2015, she was awarded first class honours for her thesis that examined the allocation of time of male employees with respect to work and family commitments after their transition to fatherhood, as well as the factors that affect their time-use decisions. She, as a co-author, has recently published a research on the impact of individualised funding on the work and family responsibilities of informal caregivers of people with autism in Journal of Business Management.

Hugh T. J. Bainbridge

Hugh T.J. Bainbridge is Senior Lecturer in the School of Management, UNSW Australia Business School. His research interests focus on workforce diversity with a specialisation on employees who, in addition to their job, also provide informal unpaid care to family members with disabilities. The current emphasis of his work is on eldercare, the work-caregiving interface, and how line managers and HR specialists can improve the workforce experience of employees with caregiving responsibilities and the people they care for. His research is published in a variety of outlets including the Academy of Management Review and Journal of Applied Psychology.