Who works nonstandard schedules voluntarily?: The role of having children

ABSTRACT

Working nonstandard schedules, often termed shift work, has been regarded as an undesirable option, particularly for parents, because it may pose multiple challenges regarding child-care. In recognizing that some working persons may intentionally use nonstandard schedules to accommodate their family needs, however, this study attempted to distinguish between those who voluntarily choose to work nonstandard schedules (VNWS) and those who do so on an involuntarily basis (INWS). This study also examined whether having children predicts the likelihood of VNWS (vs. INWS), using a national sample of shift workers drawn from the May 2004 Current Population Survey. This study revealed that about one-third of shift workers worked nonstandard hours on a voluntary basis, and parents, particularly those with young children, had greater likelihood of VNWS. Moreover, the association was more salient among married individuals and women, indicating the moderating role of marital status and gender. This study suggests that nonstandard work schedules have the potential to both become a family-unfriendly schedule and to be used as a family-friendly work option, depending on whether it is voluntarily chosen or involuntarily forced.

KEYWORDS:

• Shift work
• nonstandard work schedules
• nonstandard hours
• work schedule behaviour
• tag-team parenting
• child care
• work-family conflict

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Funding

The work described in this paper was supported by a grant from the Research Grants Council of Hong Kong (ECS Grant No. 24618417)