Maternal work schedules and child outcomes: Evidence from the National Survey of American Families

Abstract

Using the 1997 and 1999 waves of a nationally representative dataset collected by the Urban Institute and Child Trends, this paper investigates the associations between contemporary maternal nonstandard work schedules and children's outcomes at various ages through 17 years of age. Some weak associations were found between mothers' contemporary nonstandard work hours and children's outcomes at ages 6–11 and 12–17. In particular, children's school engagement at ages 6–11 and attending extracurricular activities at ages 12–17 were negatively associated with maternal nonstandard work schedules. The patterns of the results suggest complex links between contemporary maternal work schedules and child outcomes. Implications for further research are discussed.