Nine to Five No More? The Persistence of Nonstandard Work Schedules within Families

Katrina M. Leupp, University of Washington
Sabino Kornrich, United States Studies Centre
Julie E. Brines, University of Washington

The widespread prevalence of employment outside of the standard workday interrupts family meals, childcare, and sleep routines for a sizable portion of Americans, complicating their attempts to manage work and family demands. This study uses 1987-2003 data from the National Survey of Families and Households to examine the persistence of nonstandard employment schedules. By analyzing the work hours of dual-earner married couples at three time points, we investigate families’ continued risk of experiencing shift work by socio-demographic characteristics. Secondly, we address the issue of family schedule synchronicity by examining the extent to which couples are employed during times that do not overlap. Finally, we assess schedule stability by estimating the likelihood that shift workers’ employment varies among evening, night, and weekend hours.