Mothers’ non-standard working and childcare-related challenges : A comparison between lone and coupled mothers

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to particularly focus on lone-mother families, comparing the childcare-related challenges experienced by working lone mothers and coupled mothers in three European countries in the context of a 24/7 economy and non-standard working hours (e.g. evening, night and weekend work). Design/methodology/approach – This study utilises survey data from Finnish, Dutch and British working mothers (n=1,106) collected as part of the “Families 24/7” research project. Multivariate regression analysis is used to analyse the associations between childcare-related challenges, maternal non-standard working, lone motherhood and country of residence. Findings – The results…

Nonstandard Work Hours and Single Versus Coupled Mothers’ Work-to-Family Conflict

Objective: To compare single and coupled mothers’ experiences of time-based work-to-family conflict (WFC) and work-to-family positive affective spillover (PAS) in the context of maternal nonstandard work hours.Background: Despite having become one of the central topics of work–family research, studies examining the relationship of maternal work schedules and family roles have mainly focused on North American samples or dual-earner families. Although qualitative studies have highlighted the problems faced by European single mothers in relation to the combination of nonstandard work hours and family life, there are no quantitative or cross-national comparative studies on the association.Metho…

Childcare and parental work schedules: a comparison of childcare arrangements among Finnish, British and Dutch dual-earner families

This study examined the association between parental work schedules and non-parental childcare arrangements among dual-earner families in Finland, the Netherlands and the UK. Data from the ‘Families 24/7’ web-survey were used, including 937 parents with children aged 0-12 years. Results showed a negative association between non-standard work and formal childcare across all countries. A similar association was found for using a combination of formal and informal childcare, whereas solely using informal childcare was not associated with work characteristics. Country differences showed that, compared with Finland, the probability of using formal childcare was lower in the Netherlands, whereas …

Positive parenting and parenting stress among working mothers in Finland, the UK and the Netherlands : Do working time patterns matter?

This study explored the effects of working time patterns on positive parenting and parenting stress, and the moderating effects of working hours, the unpredictability of work schedules, and autonomy over working time in a European context. This cross-national survey study compared Finnish (n = 337), Dutch (n = 283) and British (n = 317) mothers with children under the age of 13, using structural equation modeling with a multigroup procedure. We found a connection between working time patterns and positive parenting but the nature of the connection differed between countries. In all three countries, no relationship was found between working time pattern and parenting stress, while unpredict…

Displaying morally responsible motherhood : lone mothers accounting for work during non-standard hours

This study examined how lone mothers rationalise their work during non-standard hours (e.g., evenings and weekends), which they perceive as problematic in terms of child wellbeing, and thereby as violating the culturally shared moral order of ‘good’ motherhood. The data comprise interviews with 16 Finnish lone mothers, analysed as accounts, with a special focus on their linguistic features. The mothers displayed morally responsible motherhood through: (1) excusing work during non-standard hours as an external demand; (2) appealing to an inability to act according to good mothering ideals; (3) using adaptive strategies to protect child wellbeing; and (4) challenging the idea of risk. Our fin…

Nonstandard Work Hours and Single Versus Coupled Mothers' Work-to-Family Conflict