Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 11, 2026
08:36
Collecting Sleep, Circadian, Fatigue, and Performance Data in Complex Operational Environments
Published on: August 8, 2019
Parents' Work Schedules and Time Spent with Children
Katie R Genadek1,2, Rachelle Hill2
1University of Colorado - Boulder and IZA. Contact: katie.genadek@colorado.edu, 1440 15th St, Boulder, CO 80309.
Community, Work & Family
|January 29, 2019
Summary
Certain work schedule timings, not all attributes, impact parental time with children. This research uses time diary data to analyze work-family overlap for parents.
Area of Science:
- Sociology
- Family Studies
- Labor Economics
Background:
- Growing research examines work-family overlap.
- Understanding how work schedules affect parental time with children is crucial for family well-being.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between parents' work schedule attributes and the time spent with their children.
- To identify specific work schedule characteristics that influence the quantity and quality of parent-child time.
Main Methods:
- Utilized nationally representative American Time Use Survey (ATUS) data for time diaries.
- Merged ATUS data with the Current Population Survey (CPS) Work Schedules Supplement.
- Analyzed associations between work schedule features (flexibility, remote work, schedule type) and parent-child interaction time.
Main Results:
- Not all work schedule attributes significantly affect time spent with children.
- Specific aspects of work schedule timing are demonstrably related to total parent-child time.
- Work schedule attributes also correlate with time spent on particular activities with children.
Conclusions:
- Work schedule timing is a key factor influencing parental engagement.
- Policy and workplace interventions could leverage schedule flexibility to enhance parent-child bonding.
- Further research should explore the nuances of different work schedule impacts on family life.
Related Concept Videos
00:55Parental Care
Many animals exhibit parental care behavior, including feeding, grooming, and protecting young offspring. Parental care is universal in mammals and birds, which often have young that are born relatively helpless. Several species of insects and fish, as well as some amphibians, also care for their young.
02:57The Sense of Self: Reflected Self-Appraisal and Social Comparison
According to Charles Cooley, we base our image on what we think other people see (Cooley 1902). We imagine how we must appear to others, then react to this speculation. We don certain clothes, prepare our hair in a particular manner, wear makeup, use cologne, and the like—all with the notion that our presentation of ourselves is going to affect how others perceive us. We expect a certain reaction, and, if lucky, we get the one we desire and feel good about it. But more than that, Cooley...
01:27Parenting Styles
Diana Baumrind's four parenting styles — authoritarian, authoritative, neglectful, and permissive — each influence children's socio-emotional development differently.
Authoritarian Parenting
This style is strict and controlling, with little room for open dialogue. Authoritarian parents demand obedience and often enforce rules with minimal warmth. Children raised this way may lack social skills and initiative, usually comparing themselves to others unfavorably.
Authoritative Parenting
This...
Authoritarian Parenting
This style is strict and controlling, with little room for open dialogue. Authoritarian parents demand obedience and often enforce rules with minimal warmth. Children raised this way may lack social skills and initiative, usually comparing themselves to others unfavorably.
Authoritative Parenting
This...
01:23Influence of Parents and Peers on Identity
Adolescence is a pivotal period of identity formation, during which individuals begin to answer questions central to their sense of self, such as "Who am I?" and "Who do I hope to become?" Both parents and peers play critical roles in guiding adolescents through this complex developmental phase.
Parental Influence on Identity Development
Parents serve as primary guides and managers in an adolescent's life, offering support instrumental in decision-making and personal growth. This guiding role...
Parental Influence on Identity Development
Parents serve as primary guides and managers in an adolescent's life, offering support instrumental in decision-making and personal growth. This guiding role...
01:28Relationship with Parents: Attachment
Parent-child interactions lay the foundation for how we understand relationships throughout life. These interactions are not uniform across families; instead, they are shaped by a range of environmental, emotional, and behavioral factors unique to each caregiver-child dynamic. Social psychologists study these early relationships to understand how patterns formed in infancy influence social functioning and interpersonal behavior in adulthood.Attachment Theory and Early Relational ModelsJohn...
01:29Relationship with Other Adult Family Members and Siblings
Other adult family members and siblings play a crucial role in shaping children’s social and emotional development. While parents or primary caregivers are often the central figures in early attachment and socialization, other adults in a child’s life, such as grandparents, aunts, and uncles, can significantly influence developmental outcomes. These influences depend on each adult’s personality and may help compensate when a primary caregiver is emotionally distant or inconsistent. For...