Two Decades of Nonstandard Work Hours among Employed Married Mothers: The Effects on Maternal Time with Children and Husbands’ Time Doing Unpaid Work

Peter D. Brandon, University at Albany, State University of New York (SUNY)

This paper provides findings for two interrelated work-family questions for married couples raising children: first, have employed married mothers’ nonstandard work hours increased over the last two decades? Second, if so, then how has maternal time with children and husbands’ time doing unpaid work, (e.g., child care and housework), been transformed alongside increases in maternal nonstandard work hours? This paper addresses these questions, which are fundamental questions for today’s families facing a “24/7” global economy, using the full Australian time use data collection. The Australian time use data collection, which spans two decades, contains three nationally representative, concordant time use surveys, and regarded internationally as unsurpassed in quality, provide a rare opportunity to uncover changes over time in nonstandard work hours among employed married mothers and then assess whether such changes: (a) decreased the time mothers spent with their children; but, (b) increased the time husbands spent doing unpaid housework.