Abstract
This chapter examines the impact of nonstandard working schedules on partnership dissolution risk. Using panel data from the Netherlands (NKPS , N = 2,982) and the U.S. (NSFH , N = 4,919), the results shows that having at least one nonstandard schedule worker in the household increases the risk that a partnership might dissolve over time. The negative impact of employment in nonstandard schedules on partnership stability is the strongest in households where nonstandard schedules are worked in a ‘desynchronized ‘manner, when one partner is employed in a nonstandard and the other in a standard schedule. These types of ‘desynchronized’ schedules are furthermore prevalent for households with young children . Employment in nonstandard schedules increases partnership dissolution in both countries, with a weaker effect in The Netherlands, which is likely attributed to stricter working time regulations and protection against the ‘unhealthy’ effect of these schedules.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Notes
- 1.
Note that in binomial analysis, not the sample size, but number of successes dominates statistical power (Agresti 2002).
References
Agresti, A. (2002). Categorical data analysis (2nd ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley-Interscience.
Amato, P. R., & Hohmann-Marriott, B. (2007). A comparison of high—and low-distress marriages that end in divorce. Journal of Marriage and Family, 2007(69), 621–638.
Amato, P. R., & Irving, S. (2005). A historical perspective on divorce in the United States. In M. Fine & J. Harvey (Eds.), Handbook of divorce and relationship dissolution (pp. 41–58). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
Barnett, R. C., & Gareis, K. C. (2007). Shift work, parenting behaviors, and children’s socioemotional well-being. A within-family study. Journal of Family Issues, 28(6), 727–748.
Becker, G. (1981). A treatise on the family. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
Binstock, G., & Thornton, A. (2003). Separations, reconciliations and living apart in cohabiting and marital unions. Journal of Marriage and Family, 65, 432–443.
Bumpass, L. L., Martin, T. C., & Sweet, J. A. (1991). The impact of family background and early marital factors on marital disruption. Journal of Family Issues, 12, 22–42.
Carriero, R., Ghysels, J., & van Klaveren, C. (2009). Do parents coordinate their work schedules? A comparison of Dutch, Flemish, and Italian dual-earner households. European Sociological Review, 25(5), 603–617.
Davis, K. D., Goodman, W. B., Pirretti, A. E., & Almeida, D. M. (2008, November). Nonstandard work schedules, perceived family well-being, and daily stressors. Journal of Marriage and Family, 70, 991–1003.
Deutsch, F. M., & Saxon, S. E. (1998). Traditional ideologies, nontraditional lives. Sex Roles, 38(5/6), 331–362.
Dykstra, P. A., Kalmijn, M., Knijn, T. C. M., Komter, A. E., Liefbroer, A. C., & Mulder, C. H. (2004). Codebook of the Netherlands Kinship Panel Study, a multi-actor, multi-method panel study on solidarity in family relationships, Wave 1. NKPS Working Papers. The Hague: Netherlands Interdisciplinary Demographic Institute.
Dykstra, P. A., Kalmijn, M., Knijn, T. C. M., Komter, A. E., Liefbroer, A. C., & Mulder, C. H. (2007). Codebook of Netherlands Kinship Panel Study, a multi-actor, multi-method panel study on solidarity in family relationships, Wave 2. NKPS Working Paper No 6. The Hague: Netherlands Interdisciplinary Demographic Institute.
Fenwick, R., & Tausig, M. (2001). Scheduling stress: Family and health outcomes of shift work and schedule control. American Behavioral Scientist, 44(7), 1179–1198.
Ganzeboom, H. B. G., de Graaf, P. M., & Treiman, D. (1992). A standard international socio-economic index of occupational status. Social Science Research, 21, 1–56.
Grosswald, B. (2003). Shift work and negative work-family spillover. Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare, 30, 31–56.
Han, W. J. (2004). Nonstandard work schedules and child care decisions: Evidence from the NICHD study of early child care. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 19, 231–256.
Han, W. J. (2005). Maternal nonstandard work schedules and child cognitive outcomes. Child Development, 76(1), 137–154.
Hill, M. A. (1988). Marital stability and spouses’ shared time. Journal of Family Issues, 9, 427–451.
Hogerbrugge, M. J. A., & Dykstra, P. A. (2009). The family ties of unmarried cohabiting and married persons in the Netherlands. Journal of Marriage and Family, 71(February), 135–145.
Jamal, M. (2004). Burnout, stress and health of employees on non-standard work schedules: A study of Canadian workers. Stress and Health, 20, 113–119.
Kalleberg, A. L. (2011). Good jobs, bad jobs: The rise of polarized and precarious employment systems in the United States, 1970s to 2000s: Russell Sage Foundation.
Kalleberg, A. L., Reskin, B. F., & Hudson, K. (2000). Bad jobs in America: Standard and nonstandard employment relations and job quality in the United States. American Sociological Review, 65(April), 256–278.
Kalmijn, M., Graaf, P. M. d., & Poortman, A.-R. (2004, February). Interactions between cultural and economic determinants of divorce in the Netherlands. Journal of Marriage and Family, 66, 75–89.
Kats, V., & Martin, G. (2003, September). Families and work in transition in 12 countries, 1980–2001. Monthly Labor Review, 126, 3–31.
Lesnard, L. (2008). Off-scheduling within dual-earner couples: An unequal and negative externality for family time. American Journal of Sociology, 114(2), 447–490.
Levinger, G. (1965). Marital cohesiveness and dissolution: An integrative review. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 27, 19–28.
Lichter, D. T., & Qian, Z. (2008). Serial cohabitation and the marital life course. Journal of Marriage and Family, 70(November), 861–878.
Manting, D. (1996). The changing meaning of cohabitation and marriage. European Sociological Review, 12, 53–65.
Mills, M., & Täht, K. (2010, August). Nonstandard work schedules and partnership quality: Quantitative and qualitative findings. Journal of Marriage and Family, 72, 860–875.
Mott, P. E., Mann, E. C., McLoghlin, Q., & Warwick, D. P. (1965). Shift work: The social, psychological and physical consequences. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.
Oppenheimer, V. K. (1997). Women’s employment and the gains of marriage: The specialisation and trading model of marriage. Annual Review of Sociology, 23, 431–453.
Poortman, A.-R. (2005, March). How work affects divorce: The mediating role of financial and time pressures. Journal of Family Issues, 26(1), 168–195.
Popenoe, D. (2008). Cohabitation, marriage and child wellbeing. A cross-national perspective. The National Marriage Project. Rutgers: The State University of New Jersey.
Portegijs, W., Cloïn, M., Ooms, I., & Eggink, E. (2006). Hoe het werkt met kinderen. Moeders over kinderopvang en arbeidsparticipatie [How it works with children. Mothers talking about daycare and labor market participation]. The Hague: SCP.
Presser, H. B. (2000). Nonstandard work schedules and marital instability. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 62(February), 93–110.
Presser, H. B. (2003). Working in a 24/7 economy: Challenges for American families. New York: Russell Sage Foundation.
Presser, H. B., & Cox, A. G. (1997, April). The work schedules of low-educated American women and welfare reform. Monthly Labor Review, 25–34.
Spitze, G., & South, S. J. (1985, September). Women’s employment, time expenditure, and divorce. Journal of Family Issues, 6(3), 307–329.
Sweet, J., & Bumpass, L. (1996). The National Survey of Families and Households—waves 1 and 2: Data description and documentation. Center for Demography and Ecology, University of Wisconsin-Madison (http://www.ssc.wisc.edu/nsfh/home.htm).
Sweet, J., Bumpass, L., & Call, V. (1988). The design and content of the National Survey of Families and Households. NSFH Working Papers no 1: Center for Demography and Ecology, University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Täht, K., & Mills, M. (2012). Non-standard work schedules, couple desychronization and parent-child interaction: A mixed-method analysis. Journal of Family Issues, 33(8), 1054–1087.
van der Lippe, T. (2007). Dutch workers and time pressure: Household and workplace characteristics. Work, Employment & Society, 21, 693–711.
Waite, L. J., & Lillard, L. A. (1991). Children and marital disruption. American Journal of Sociology, 96, 930–953.
White, L. (1991). Determinants of divorce: A review of research in the eighties. In A. Booth (Ed.), Contemporary families looking forward, looking back. Minneapolis, MN: National Council of Family Relations.
White, L., & Keith, B. (1990). The effect of shift work on the quality and stability of marital relations. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 52(May), 453–462.
Wight, V. R., Raley, S. B., & Bianchi, S. M. (2008). Time for children, one’s spouse and oneself among parents who work nonstandard hours. Social Forces, 87(1), 243–271.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Appendix
Appendix
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2016 The Author(s)
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Täht, K., Mills, M. (2016). Nonstandard Work Schedules and Partnership Dissolution. In: Out of Time. SpringerBriefs in Sociology. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-7402-4_5
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-7402-4_5
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-94-017-7400-0
Online ISBN: 978-94-017-7402-4
eBook Packages: Behavioral Science and PsychologyBehavioral Science and Psychology (R0)