Family time negotiations in the context of non-standard work schedules

Present-day parenting is centred round the question of time, especially in the case of working parents. This study analysed negotiations over time in families where one or both parents work non-standard schedules, that is, during evenings, nights and weekends. We asked what aspects of time are negotiable and with whom, and who in the family bears the ultimate responsibility for these negotiations. The analysis was based on interviews with 47 people conducted in 2013 in Finland. The findings indicated that time negotiations within the family concerned everyday routines and schedules, social life and the family‗s philosophy. Family life and schedules in the context of non-standard schedules w…

Mothers’ non-standard working schedules and family time : enhancing regularity and togetherness

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate Finnish working mothers’ experiences of the effects of non-standard working schedules (NSWS) on family time in two family forms, coupled and lone-parent families. Furthermore the aim is to find out what meanings mothers with NSWS attached to family time paying particular attention to the circumstances in which mothers experienced NSWS positively. Design/methodology/approach – Thematic analysis of 20 semi-structured interviews was used to investigate mothers’ experiences of the effects of NSWS on family time. Findings – The key factor generating positive experiences was the ability to maintain regularity and togetherness, which was enhan…

Äitipuolen identiteetin rakentaminen uusperheessä

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…

Stepmothers’ constructions and negotiations of belonging

Applying a narrative approach and symbolic interactionist frame of reference, this study examines how Finnish stepmothers in their written narratives construct and negotiate their belonging. Belonging is a relevant concept in this study since it focuses on social interaction and intersubjectivity, and their emotional content. Three types of belonging were identified: (a) restricted belonging, (b) dyadic stepmother–stepchild belonging and (c) the spousal relationship as a focal dyad of belonging. Attainment of belonging may be especially challenging for stepmothers owing to their dependence on the willingness of the biological mother and father to share the emotional dimension of the parent–…

Stepmothers in narratives : negotiations on relatedness

This study contributes to the existing stepmother research by focusing on interaction as an aspect of stepmother identity construction. Accordingly, identity is seen as negotiated through interaction with other family members. A narrative approach applied to 58 stories written by Finnish stepmothers yielded three identity types: identity restricted by a biological mother, stepmother-centred identity, and team parenthood identity. The most dominant feature, common to all the stories, was that stepmothers perceived themselves primarily in relation to the children’s biological mothers, a stance that often led them to feel threatened. Stepmother identity construction appeared to be problematic …

Kumman vuoro? Kotityön ja vanhemmuuden jakamiselle annetut perustelut epätyypillisen työajan perheissä

Aiemman tutkimuksen mukaan epätyypillinen työaika haastaa sukupuolten työnjaolle annettuja perusteluja, koska näissä perheissä on usein tilanteita, jolloin toinen vanhemmista kantaa yksin vastuuta kodista ja lapsista toisen ollessa töissä. Tarkastelemme tässä tutkimuksessa, millaisia perusteluita suomalaiset, epätyypillistä työaikaa tekevät vanhemmat antavat kotityön ja vanhemmuuden jakamiselle perheessään. Hyödynsimme epätyypillistä työaikaa tekevien vanhempien haastatteluiden (n=34) analyysissa aiemmassa tutkimuksessa löydettyjä sukupuolten työnjaon seli- tysmalleja sekä kategoria-analyysia. Löysimme viisi työnjaon perhetyyppiä: Naishoivaajien perheissä äidit perustelivat sukupuolittunutt…