The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to explore the impact of shift work (work performed during nonstandard hours) on the family relationships of shift workers. The author examined secondary 1997 data from the Families and Work Institute's National Study of the Changing Workforce (N = 3,552), and analyzed the differences in level of satisfaction with one's family (family satisfaction; FS) between shift workers and people who worked standard hours. Results demonstrated that working a nonstandard, nonflexible shift was significantly associated with a lower likelihood of FS, particularly for evening and night shifts. Although the total number of hours worked was not associated with FS, preferring to work fewer hours decreased the probability of reporting high FS. Job autonomy was another strong predictor of FS. Future research should include longitudinal studies to examine the long-term impact of shift work on families.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
AkabasS. H., & PirieV. (1989). Impact of shift work on employee well-being: A manual for discussion leaders.New York: The Center for Social Policy and Practice in the Workplace, Columbia University School of Social Work.
2.
BailynL. (1993). Breaking the mold: Women, men, and time in the new corporate world.New York: Free Press.
3.
BondJ. T., GalinskyE., LordM., StainesG. L, & BrownK. R. (1991). Beyond the parental leave debate: The impact of laws in four states.New York: Families and Work Institute.
4.
CasperL.M. (1997). My daddy takes care of me! Fathers as care providers (Current Population Reports: Household Economic Studies P70–59). Washington, DC: U.S. Census Bureau.
5.
Circadian Information. (1998). Shift work: Practices and policies for balancing work-life in round-the-clock operations.Cambridge, MA: Author.
6.
ColliganM. J., & RosaR.R. (1990). Shift work effects on social and family life. Occupational Medicine: State of the Art Reviews, 5, 315–322.
7.
Commission on Leave. (1996). A workable balance: Report to Congress on family and medical leave policies.Washington, DC: Author.
8.
CostaG. (1996). The impact of shift and night work on health. Applied Ergonomics, 27, 9–16.
9.
DeutschF. M. (1999). Halving it all: How equally shared parenting works.Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
10.
Families and Work Institute. (1999). National Study of the Changing Workforce. Guide to public use files.New York: Author.
11.
FroneM. R., RussellM., & CooperM. L. (1992). Antecedents and outcomes of work-family conflict: Testing a model of the work-family interface. Journal of Applied Psychology, 77, 65–78.
12.
HallD. T. (1990). Promoting work/family balance: An organization–change approach. Organizational Dynamics, 18(3), 5–18.
13.
HigginsC. A., & DuxburyL.E. (1992). Work-family conflict: A comparison of dual career men and traditional men. Journal of Occupational Behavior, 13, 389–411.
14.
HochschildA. (2001, March 16). Overwork: Causes and consequences of rising work hours [Roundtable discussion at the Seductions, Pressures, Identities and Transformations: Perspectives on WORK conference]. Berkeley Journal of Sociology, 2001, vol. 45, 180–196.
15.
JacobsJ. A., & GersonK. (1998). Who are the overworked Americans?Review of Social Economy, 56, 442–459.
16.
JacobsJ. A., & GersonK. (2001). Overworked individuals or overworked families?: Explaining trends in work, leisure, and family time. Work and Occupations, 28, 40–63.
17.
KanterR. M. (1977). Work and family in the United States: A critical review and agenda for research and policy.New York: Russell Sage.
18.
KarasekR. A., BakerD., MarxerF., AhlbomA., & TheorellT. (1981). Job decision latitude, job demands, and cardiovascular disease: A prospective study of Swedish men. American Journal of Public Health, 71, 694–705.
19.
KarasekR., & TheorellT. (1990). Healthy work: Stress, productivity, and the reconstruction of working life.New York: Basic Books.
20.
KarasekR. A., TheorellT. G. T., SchwartzJ., PieperC., & AlfredssonA. (1982). Job, psychological factors and coronary heart disease: Swedish prospective findings and U.S. prevalence findings using a new occupational inference method. Advances in Cardiology, 29, 62–67.
21.
LardnerJ., & JohnsonT. (1999, December 20). World-class workaholics: Trend toward longer work weeks in US. U.S. News & World Report127 (24), 42.
22.
MorrisB. (1997). Is your family wrecking your career? Fortune, 135 (5), 70–79.
23.
OlsonM. E. (1960). Distribution of family responsibilities and social stratification. Marriage and Fmaily Living, 22, 60–65.
24.
ParasuramanS., GreenhausJ. H., & GranroseC. S. (1992). Role stressors, social support, and well-being among two career couples. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 13, 339–356.
25.
PresserH. (1988). Shift work and child care among young dual-earner American parents. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 50, 133–148.
26.
PresserH. B. (1995). Job, family, and gender: Determinants of nonstandard work schedules among employed Americans: 1991. Demography, 32, 577–598.
27.
PresserH. B. (1998). Toward a 24-hour economy: The U.S. experience and implications for the family. In VannoyD. & DubeckP. J. (Eds.), Challenges for work and family in the twenty-first century (pp. 39–47). New York: de Gruyter.
28.
PresserH. B. (2000). Nonstandard work schedules and marital instability. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 62, 93–110.
29.
PresserH. B., & CainV. S. (1983). Shift work among dual-earner couples with children. Science, 219, 876–879.
30.
RahmanA., & PalS. (1994). Subjective health and family life of rotating shift workers. Bangladesh Journal of Psychology, 14, 49–55.
31.
ScharlachA. E., & GrosswaldB. The Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993. Social Service Review, 71, 335–359.
32.
SchorJ. B. (1991). The overworked American: The unexpected decline of leisure.New York: Harper Collins.
33.
SewardJ. P. (1997). Occupational stress. In LaDouJ. (Ed.), Occupational and environmental medicine (2nd ed., pp. 585–601). Stamford, CT: Appleton & Lange.
34.
SimonB. L. (1990). Impact of shift work on individuals and families. Families in Society, 71, 342–348.
35.
SolomonC. M. (1994). The value of most programs far exceeds their use. Personnel Journal, 73(5), 74.
36.
SPSS, Inc. (2002). SPSS Advanced Statistics 11. Chicago, IL: SPSS, Inc.
37.
ThompsonB. M. (1997). Couples and the work-family interface. In HalfordW. K. & MarkmanH. J. (Eds.). Clinical handbook of marriage and couples intervention (pp. 273–290). Chichester: Wiley.
38.
TotterdellP., SpeltenE., SmithL., BartonJ., & FolkardS. (1995). Recovery from work shifts: How long does it take?Journal of Applied Psychology, 80, 43–57.
39.
VormbrockJ. K. (1993). Attachment theory as applied to wartime and job-related separation. Psychological Bulletin, 114, 122–144.
40.
WhiteL., & KeithB. (1990). The effect of shift work on the quality and stability of marital relations. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 52(2), 453–462.
