Families, Relationships and Societies  published our research paper on family time negotiations in the context of non-standard work schedules. The paper is written together with Johanna Mykkänen, Eija Sévon, Minna Murtorinne-Lahtinen and Anna Rönkä.

Abstract:

Present-day parenting is centred round the question of time, especially in the case of working  parents. This study analysed negotiations over time in families where one or both parents work  non-standard schedules, that is, during evenings, nights and weekends. We asked what aspects  of time are negotiable and with whom, and who in the family bears the ultimate responsibility  for these negotiations. The analysis was based on interviews with 47 people conducted in 2013  in Finland.

The findings indicated that time negotiations within the family concerned everyday  routines and schedules, social life and the family’s philosophy. Family life and schedules in the  context of non-standard schedules were often subject to moralising remarks from others, including  close relatives and friends. Parents seemed to have some room to negotiate on the timing of their  work schedules with their employers. Men and women differed in the positions they adopted in  time negotiations: women took an active ‘I’ perspective, while men took a more passive spousal  perspective. This result shows that traditional gender differences continue to prevail.