Dynamics of Parental Work Hours, Job Security, and Child Behavioural Problems in Australian Dual-Earner Families

Abstract

We test whether parental employment conditions are associated with child behavioural problems in 6674 Australian dual-earner families. Using mixed-effects panel models and three waves of data from two cohorts of the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children, we find longer maternal work hours and lower paternal job security are associated with greater child behavioural problems, even in our select, relatively privileged sample of dual-earner families. We find some variations in results depending on whether child behaviour is reported by primary carers (in most cases mothers) or teachers. This suggests potential reporter bias or differences in child behaviour across contexts. Further, we find less consistent support for within-child variation in behavioural problems explained by changes in parental employment conditions within families, nor do we find differences in the association between parental employment conditions and child behaviour as the child ages over a four-year period. This highlights that much of the variation in child behaviour is explained by differences in parental employment conditions across families.