Abstract
This study examined the associations of work schedules and spousal satisfaction among Finnish (n = 347), Dutch (n = 304) and British (n = 337) parents. In addition to comparing parents with nonstandard schedule with parents in regular day work, the study examined separately the roles played in spousal satisfaction of morning, evening, night and weekend work and other working time-related variables (working hours, changes in and influence over one’s work schedules and spouse’s work schedule). The three-country data were analyzed using structural equation modeling with a multigroup procedure in Mplus. Little evidence for negative associations of work schedules and related factors with spousal satisfaction was found among the present European employees. No between-country differences were found in the examined associations. The quantitative analyses were supplemented with content analysis of parents’ descriptions of the experienced effects of their working times on their spousal relationship. Parents described their working times mostly as having a negative influence on their possibilities of being together, organization of daily life, psychological and physiological reactions and spousal communication. Some, however, also mentioned benefits and finding solutions to problems related to their working times.
Highlights
Working spouses spend a considerable proportion of their time at work
All loadings except for the item “How rewarding is your relationship with your partner?” among the Dutch participants could be set equal between the countries based on the Satorra-Bentler significance test (constrained model: χ2 (11) = 27.49, p = .004, Tucker-Lewis index (TLI) = 0.99, root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) = .07, SRMR = .04)
Utilizing quantitative and qualitative data from three European countries - Finland, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom - various aspects of work schedules were analyzed with the aim of broadening understanding of the associations of work schedules and spousal relationship quality
Summary
One of the aspects of work affecting the lives of spouses is the scheduling of work, that is, when the work is done. This frames family timetables, rhythms and experiences (see e.g., Presser 2003; Wright, Raley & Bianchi 2008). In addition to quantitatively examining whether connections exist between different aspects of working time and spousal satisfaction, this study addressed the qualitative question of how. All participants irrespective of their work schedules were asked the openended question “How do the working hours of you or your spouse affect your spousal relationship?” The answers given by the Dutch participants were translated into English by a professional translator. 64 (9.37%) directly stated that working times had no effect on the spousal relationship and were excluded from the analyses
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