Full Citation
Title: More Time with the Family? Workplace Flexibility Policies and Fathers’ Time with Children
Citation Type: Working Paper
Publication Year: 2021
ISBN:
ISSN:
DOI: 10.31235/osf.io/t572s
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Abstract: Workplace flexibility policies, which provide control over the timing and location of work, are a family-friendly resource that may facilitate increased father-child time. Yet, research on this relationship often focuses narrowly on “childcare time,” which not only overlooks the majority of time fathers spend with their children, but also neglects fathers’ accessibility to and responsibility for children as well as the co-presence of the mother. This limits our understanding of how flexibility policies might enhance family well-being and mitigate persistent gender inequalities. Using the 2017-2018 American Time Use Survey Leave Module, this study examines the relationship between flextime (control over start and end times) and flexplace (working from home) policies and different-sex partnered fathers’ time with children. Access to and use of flexibility policies are associated with more family time with children–when the mother is also present. This includes not only time in childcare but also other activities such as meals as well as supervision or accessibility. However, there are no differences in fathers’ solo parenting time. Ultimately, these findings elucidate a more comprehensive picture of how flexibility policies might shape father involvement, and complicate our understanding of the consequences of flexibility for family well-being and gender inequality.
Url: https://osf.io/preprints/socarxiv/t572s_v1
User Submitted?: Yes
Authors: Wray, Dana
Series Title: SocArXiv
Publication Number: T572s_v1
Institution: University of Toronto
Pages: 1-45
Publisher Location:
Data Collections: IPUMS Time Use - ATUS
Topics: Gender, Work, Family, and Time
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