Department of Sociology University of Maryland College Park, MD

Major Points The movement toward a 24/7 service economy has created a demand for millions of Americans, including parents with young children, to work evening, night, or rotating shifts, as well as weekends. The demand for late-hour employment has profound consequences for individual well-being, the nature and stability of family life, the way we care for children, and child well-being. Our failure to take into account the temporal complexity of work time and its consequences for family life compromises the effectiveness of work and family policies, including child care policies for low-income women.

Reasons for the 24/7 economy 3) Changing technology Able to be ‘on call’ at all hours Reduced costs 2) Changing demography Aging population – more 24/7 health care Postponement of marriage and more dual-earner households – more 24/7 travel and entertainment 1) Growth of service economy –more 24/7 than manufacturing Increased employment of women Manufacturing *Selected Services NOTE: ‘SELECTED SERVICES’ include ‘Information,’ ‘Professional and business services,’ ‘Education and health services,’ ‘Leisure and hospitality.’ and ‘Other services.’

Prevalence of non-daytime and weekend employment [May 1997 Current Population Survey] All employed Americans –1 in 5 work most of their hours in the evenings or nights, or work a rotating schedule –1 in 3 work Saturdays and/or Sundays –Considering both together, 2 in 5 work late shifts and/or weekends Dual earner couples with children under age 5 –1 in 3 have a spouse who works most hours in the evenings, nights, or has a rotating schedule All these ratios are higher for low-income Americans Single mothers more likely to work late shifts than married mothers

Percentage of Employed Mothers With Children Under Age 14 Who Work Nonstandard Hours and Weekends by Marital Status Weekends 33.2%23.9% Nonstandard hours 20.8%16.4% [May 1997 Current Population Survey] SingleMarried

The Top Ten Occupations of Nonday Workers RankOccupation% of all occupations 1Cashiers4.7 2Truck drivers4.1 3Waiters and waitresses3.3 4Cooks3.2 5Janitors and cleaners3.1 6Supervisors and proprietors, Sales2.8 7Registered nurses2.8 8Managers, food serving, and lodging2.6 9Nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants2.5 10Managers and administrators, n.e.c.*2.2 * Not elsewhere classifiedSum of top 10 = 31.3% [May 1997 Current Population Survey]

Consequences for family life Poorer quality of marriages (evenings and nights) Greater marital instability (nights only) Greater participation of men in household chores Less parent-child interaction (e.g., fewer dinners as a family with evening shifts) Greater participation of fathers and grandmothers in child care Greater complexity of child care arrangements (e.g., reliance on more providers)

Greater complexity of child care More providers used: greater potential for breakdowns in care and more instability over time More children in unsupervised care, or care by older siblings, if parents are sleeping during the day

Percent of employed married fathers with children under age 5 who provide care when mothers are at work When mother works evenings or nights 80.9% When mother works days29.2% When mother on rotating schedule 61.5% [National Survey of Families and Households]

Percent of grandmothers who provide care for young children of single employed mothers Mother on evening or night shift 36.5% Mother on day shift30.9% [National Survey of Families and Households] Mother on rotating shift57.5%

Need for more public discourse Unmet need for evening and night care for children of low-income single mothers is substantial, yet difficult to find providers for late hour care. Many young children left unsupervised. –Need to expand the availability of evening and night care –Need to provide more child care subsidies to low- income mothers so they can afford to work during the daytime Desires of consumers (and business) versus health and social consequences for employees and their families. –We want 24/7 service –Growing demand creates new (low paying) jobs