scholarly journals Mothers’ non-standard working and childcare-related challenges

2016 ◽  
Vol 36 (1/2) ◽  
pp. 36-52 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sanna Moilanen ◽  
Vanessa May ◽  
Eija Räikkönen ◽  
Eija Sevón ◽  
Marja-Leena Laakso
Keyword(s):  
Maternal Employment ◽  
Working Hours ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Multivariate Regression Analysis ◽  
Welfare States ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Maternal Work ◽  
Lone Mother ◽  
Lone Mothers ◽  
Country Specific

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to particularly focus on lone-mother families, comparing the childcare-related challenges experienced by working lone mothers and coupled mothers in three European countries in the context of a 24/7 economy and non-standard working hours (e.g. evening, night and weekend work). Design/methodology/approach – This study utilises survey data from Finnish, Dutch and British working mothers (n=1,106) collected as part of the “Families 24/7” research project. Multivariate regression analysis is used to analyse the associations between childcare-related challenges, maternal non-standard working, lone motherhood and country of residence. Findings – The results indicated similar results across the three countries by showing that working lone mothers experience childcare-related challenges more often compared with coupled mothers. Furthermore, an increase in maternal non-standard working associated positively with increased childcare-related challenges in both lone mother and coupled families but lone motherhood did not moderate this association. The findings suggest that, regardless of family form, families in all three countries struggle with childcare arrangements when the mother works during non-standard hours. This possibly relates to the inadequate provision of state-subsidised and flexible formal childcare during non-standard hours and to the country-specific maternal work hours cultures. Originality/value – This study responds to the need for comparative research on the reconciliation of maternal non-standard working and childcare with self-collected data from three European welfare states. The importance of the study is further highlighted by the risks posed to the maintenance of maternal employment and family well-being when reconciliation of work and childcare is unsuccessful, especially in lone-mother families.

scholarly journals Beyond the ‘train-first’/‘work-first’ dichotomy: How welfare states help or hinder maternal employment

2016 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helen Kowalewska
Keyword(s):  
Maternal Employment ◽  
Parental Leave ◽  
Female Parent ◽  
Welfare States ◽  
Anglo Saxon ◽  
Lone Mothers ◽  
Social Risks ◽  
The Family ◽  
The Unemployed ◽  
Work First

Since the mid-1990s, welfare states have introduced various ‘activation’ policies designed to promote employment. Most typologies distinguish between a Nordic-style ‘train-first’ approach focused on developing jobseekers’ employability and an Anglo-Saxon ‘work-first’ approach that instead emphasises quick job (re-)entry. These typologies tell us what activation means for the unemployed (male) worker. However, by ignoring the family, they overlook what activation means for the (female) parent-worker with childcare responsibilities. To contribute to filling this gap, this article uses fuzzy-set ideal-type analysis to compare 22 countries representing five ‘worlds’ of welfare by how (de-)activating their labour market policies, parental leave provisions, childcare services and the scheduling of primary education are for lone mothers. It reveals that cross-national variations in support for maternal activation are not well captured by the Nordic-style ‘train-first’/Anglo-Saxon ‘work-first’ dichotomy. Hence, despite the greater attention to gender and ‘new social risks’ within comparative social policy scholarship in recent years, the activation literature remains gender-blind.

Work value orientations and worker well-being in the new economy

2018 ◽  
Vol 38 (9/10) ◽  
pp. 736-753 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrey Shevchuk ◽  
Denis Strebkov ◽  
Shannon N. Davis
Keyword(s):  
Work Values ◽  
Job Demands ◽  
New Economy ◽  
Working Hours ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Value Orientations ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Work Value

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to integrate work values research with the Job Demands–Resources model to assess the role that work value orientations play in self-employed workers’ subjective well-being. Design/methodology/approach The paper analyzes unique data on freelancers participating in an online labor market (n=9,984). Findings Intrinsic work values are associated with greater subjective well-being, whereas extrinsic work values are associated with lower subjective well-being. Consistent with the buffer hypothesis, intrinsic work value orientation reduces the negative effect of working hours on worker’s well-being, and extrinsic orientation enhances the negative effect. Originality/value This paper calls into question the importance of working conditions relative to worker values when assessing the role that job demands and resources play in the new economy. As work becomes more demanding and employment relations more flexible, personal resources such as work value orientations may become increasingly important for worker’s well-being.

scholarly journals When would creative R&D employees like to work?

2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 596-612 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aaro Hazak ◽  
Raul Ruubel ◽  
Marko Virkebau
Keyword(s):  
Working Hours ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Individual Characteristics ◽  
Working Time ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Multinomial Logit Regression ◽  
Working Day ◽  
End Times ◽  
Morning Type ◽  
Weekly Work

Purpose This paper aims to identify which types of creative R&D employees prefer which daily and weekly working schedules. Design/methodology/approach This paper builds on an original repeated survey of creative R&D employees from Estonia and presents multinomial logit regression estimates based on a sample of 153 individuals from 11 entities. Findings The probability of women preferring their weekly work to be concentrated in three to four days is 20 percentage points higher than in men, and the case is similar for less-educated creative R&D employees. The more educated prefer the standard five-day working week. Men have a stronger preference for their week of work to be dispersed over six to seven days. Sleep patterns appear to relate to working time preferences as morning-type individuals have a stronger preference for a working day with fixed start and end times. Those who sleep 7 h or more per day prefer the standard five-day working week more, while employees who sleep less than 7 h favour a working week of six to seven days. Employees who desire more creativity intensity at work have a stronger preference for irregular daily working hours, as do those with poorer general health. Originality/value The results indicate that individual characteristics have a significant impact on the preferences for working time arrangements. Similar working time regulations for all employees appear outdated, therefore, and may make work inefficient and harm individual well-being, at least for creative R&D employees.

Managing the work-family interface: experience of construction project managers

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 243-258 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle Turner ◽  
Anthony Mariani
Keyword(s):  
Leisure Activities ◽  
Construction Project ◽  
Working Hours ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Work And Family ◽  
Project Managers ◽  
Investment Model ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Work Family

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the work-family experience of projects managers working in the construction industry, and identify how they manage their work-family interface. Design/methodology/approach – Structured interviews were conducted with nine construction project managers working in the commercial sector, and data were subject to thematic analysis. Findings – Role conditions were found to impact on participants’ work-family interface, identified as working hours, accountability, and the stress arising from accountability. Participants identified four key strategies used to manage their work-family interface: managing work-based stress, having a supportive partner, prioritising non-work time for family, and trading off activities. Despite having to limit time with family and trade off social and leisure activities, participants did not report negative work-to-family spillover. All participants shared a passion for their work. Findings can be explained using the heavy worker investment model, which proposes that job devotion is linked to psychological well-being, decreases in work-family conflict (WFC), and work satisfaction. Originality/value – Contrary to previous research, findings suggest that construction project managers did not experience inter-role conflict between their work and family domains. It is recommended that further research explore these findings using the heavy work investment (HWI) framework which considers how internal and external predictors shape workers’ behaviour, and whether HWI typologies moderate the experience of WFC.

scholarly journals Kvinnors och mäns hjälp till sina gamla föräldrar – innehåll, omfattning och konsekvenser

2016 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Petra Ulmanen
Keyword(s):  
Negative Impact ◽  
Working Hours ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Postal Survey ◽  
Welfare States ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Work Situation ◽  
Physical Strain ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
The Impact

Women’s and men’s lial care: extent, content and consequencesThis paper analyses the extent, content and consequences of caregiving for elderly parents from a gender and welfare state perspective using a nationally representative postal survey conducted in Sweden in 2013 (response rate 60.5 per cent, 3630 individuals, age 45–66 years). Negative consequences of filial care on well-being, work situation and employment were examined. The analysis confirms earlier research showing that filial care is common in Sweden but is less intense and has fewer negative consequences than in less generous welfare states. A quarter of both women and men gave filial care at least once a month, on average around 3.4 hours a week. Although men and women gave the same extent of filial care, it was more common among women to give the more demanding personal care as well as to experience mental and physical strain, difficulties in finding time for leisure activities and reduced ability to focus on their job. Although women retired earlier than planned due to filial care more often than men, this was very rare. Men and women, however, suffered to the same extent from difficulties in managing to accomplish their tasks, to take part in meetings, courses and travels, as well as having to reduce their working hours and quit their jobs. The content of care was crucial for the occurrence of negative consequences of caregiving, even when the analysis controlled for hours of care given. The more demanding the care tasks performed, the more common it was among both men and women that their well-being and work situation were affected. The correlation between care tasks and negative impact, however, differed between genders. The impact of managerial care was much higher for women than for men, which is discussed in relation to the decline of eldercare services and the lack of coordination of health and eldercare services.

Slum dwellers' occupational activities and health implications

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander Preko ◽  
Anthony Nkrumah Agyabeng ◽  
James Kwame Mensah
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Methodology ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Environmentally Responsible Behavior ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Responsible Behavior ◽  
Slum Dwellers ◽  
Environmentally Responsible ◽  
Occupational Activities ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Country Specific

PurposeThe literature has acknowledged that good health is a crucial component of well-being. This study explores the country-specific understanding of slum dwellers' occupational activities and their environmental behavior.Design/methodology/approachUsing the environmentally responsible behavior model, the study utilized exploratory qualitative approach to purposely sample 35 respondents, who responded to health-related behaviors through in-depth interviews.FindingsFindings show that respondents are engaged in diverse socio-economic occupational activities such as selling of cooked and uncooked food in polythene bags, selling of sachet water and burning the waste generated from these activities in the slum environment. In addition, the study found specific occupational activities of masons, carpenters, tilers, salon beauticians, scrap dealers and unhygienic waste disposal in the slums. Finally, this study uncovered divided opinions in terms of respondents' environmental responsibility and awareness of environmental ramifications. Therefore, issues such as health hazards, unhealthy environment and soil deterioration are common at the slum dwellings.Research limitations/implicationsThe study findings and the conclusion drawn cannot be generalized to represent the entire population of slum dwellers in Ghana due to the qualitative methodology employed.Practical implicationsThis study revealed a country-specific understanding of the environmentally responsible behavior of slum dwellers based on their occupational activities, which can inform health policies.Originality/valueThe outcome of this study advanced contextual culturally specific understanding, concerning health-related behavior of slum dwellers, which is important to policymakers and practitioners in contexts.

scholarly journals Management in the 24/7-society raises concerns of fairness and social responsibility

2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 670-684 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Rönkä ◽  
Marianne Ekonen ◽  
Mia Tammelin ◽  
Leena Turja
Keyword(s):  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Working Hours ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Management Training ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Organizational Goals ◽  
Parents And Children

Purpose Despite the pressure on work-family polices arising from the increase in nonstandard working times in various sectors, only a few studies have addressed management practices in 24/7 workplaces. This paper aims to investigate the challenges Finnish managers face in meeting the various tensions stemming from nonstandard working hours and services operating 24/7. Two typical 24/7 work contexts are focused: the hospitality and retail industries and flexibly scheduled early childhood education and care (ECEC) services. The emphasis is on management practices relating to the planning of work shifts and children’s care schedules. Design/methodology/approach Study 1 comprises focus group interviews with middle managers (N = 20) working in hotels, stores and service stations with restaurants and shopping facilities. Study 2 uses survey data on directors (N = 20) of centers offering flexibly scheduled ECEC services. Findings The results showed that management in 24/7 workplaces raises issues of fairness and social responsibility. Managers in both sectors were faced with constantly varying service demands, leading further to changes and unpredictability in employee working times. Alongside organizational goals, the business managers reported needing to consider employee needs and the ECEC service directors the well-being of parents and children. They also reported seeking the most cost-effective way to deliver services at a time of budget cuts. Research limitations/implications The relatively small sample sizes and non-representative nature of the data restrict the generalizability of the results. Practical implications Service organizations need to design a 24/7 strategy that includes organizational communication and guidelines on fair work scheduling. Key issues in management are finding ways to enhance predictability within unpredictability, discussing the most common ethical problems and developing the skills needed to manage diversity. These are elements that should be included in management training. Originality/value The study contributes to the literature by focusing on seldom studied issues and innovately approached by comparing two work sectors.

Foundations of subjective well-being in turbulent times

2015 ◽  
Vol 35 (1/2) ◽  
pp. 2-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antti Kouvo ◽  
Pekka Räsänen
Keyword(s):  
Well Being ◽  
Cultural Factors ◽  
European Social Survey ◽  
Welfare States ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Linear Regression Models ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Institutional Differences

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between the individual and aggregate level foundations of subjective well-being (SWB). In particular, the authors focus on the institutional differences between the welfare states as possible explanatory sources of SWB. Design/methodology/approach – The data come from the Finnish, British, German and Greek sections of the European Social Survey Round 5, 2010 (n=10,046). The methods consist of multilevel and linear regression models. Findings – The results indicate that the effects of many background variables are somewhat constant in the selected countries, even though the countries are different from each other in terms of their institutional characteristics. SWB can be explained relatively well by individuals’ social networks, health and socio-demographic factors. However, the detected cross-country differences also point to the fact that the institutional differences among the countries have significance in this instance. Research limitations/implications – The research approach was built on cross-sectional data on Finland, Germany, the UK, and Greece only. While these countries represent different types of European societies it is not possible to make broader conclusions on the variation caused by societal or cultural factors in the global sense. Social implications – The findings are significant regarding the current economic situation in many European countries. Originality/value – Previous studies have addressed the direct effects of the background factors in contemporary Europe. Beyond these determinants also lies the possible impact of institutional and cultural factors.

scholarly journals Mothers’ non-standard working schedules and family time

2016 ◽  
Vol 36 (1/2) ◽  
pp. 119-135 ◽  
Author(s):  
Minna Murtorinne-Lahtinen ◽  
Sanna Moilanen ◽  
Mia Tammelin ◽  
Anna Rönkä ◽  
Marja-Leena Laakso
Keyword(s):  
Small Sample Size ◽  
Working Hours ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Family Type ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Family Time ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Lone Parent ◽  
Lone Mothers ◽  
Mothers Experiences

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate Finnish working mothers’ experiences of the effects of non-standard working schedules (NSWS) on family time in two family forms, coupled and lone-parent families. Furthermore the aim is to find out what meanings mothers with NSWS attached to family time paying particular attention to the circumstances in which mothers experienced NSWS positively. Design/methodology/approach – Thematic analysis of 20 semi-structured interviews was used to investigate mothers’ experiences of the effects of NSWS on family time. Findings – The key factor generating positive experiences was the ability to maintain regularity and togetherness, which was enhanced by specific features of work, such as autonomy and regularity, and successful child care arrangements. Also important were the values mothers associated with family time. The results highlighted the more problematic situation of lone-parent families. Research limitations/implications – The main limitation of this study was the small sample size. Practical implications – The findings show how the parents of small children benefit from the regularity and flexibility in their working hours. Owing to irregular and varying working times, flexible around-the-clock childcare is needed. In Finland, an important question is how to organize the care of small school-aged children. Lone mothers, especially, may need services to help with domestic chores and childcare. Social implications – A non-resident parent can also be an important source of childcare. Therefore policymakers should take into account family type, including consideration of the rights to childcare of non-resident parents. Originality/value – This study adds to the literature by explaining more in depth, through the richness of qualitative data, the circumstances in which mothers experience NSWS positively.

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