Abstract
With the emergence of 24/7 economies, the practice of working nonstandard schedules has become increasingly common. This trend raises a concern about how parental nonstandard work schedules affect child development outcomes. Using data from dual-earner families with young children (age 5–6) in Hong Kong, this study examined the association between parental work schedules and child development. It also examined under what conditions parental nonstandard work schedules affect child development, with a focus on the moderating role of family income. Results showed that paternal nonstandard work schedules were negatively associated with overall child development. This association was particularly salient among low-income families. By contrast, maternal nonstandard work schedules were not associated with child development outcomes. These findings suggest that it is important to equip parents, in particular low-income fathers, to address challenges resulting from their nonstandard work schedules.
Highlights
Our way of life has undergone remarkable changes in recent decades
Given the significant effect that paternal nonstandard work schedules (NWSs) had on child development, Model 2 examined the detailed measures of paternal work schedule as predictors
As the sample size became smaller in the subgroups, we only examined the broad definition of parental work schedules, while retaining the control variables that were significant in the primary regression model
Summary
One of the chief reasons is a dramatic influx of mothers into the labor force [1], which has resulted in the rise of dual-earner families [2]. This change has prompted research interest in the interplay between parental employment and child development outcomes [2]. One aspect of parental employment that has been shown to influence child outcomes is time [3,4], which is a vital resource that parents invest in raising their children. The trend of increasing working hours for dual-earner families [7] has led researchers to identify long working hours of parents as a potential risk factor for the positive development of their children [8]
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