Introduction
Research Questions
- What are the characteristics of parental work schedules for children 0-60 months? How did parental work schedules differ for children with different household characteristics?
Parents’ work schedules can affect how families use public and private early care and education and non-parental care services, as well as families’ work-life balance and well-being. When and how much parents work affects their earnings, their ability to care for their families, and their likelihood of furthering their education or training to help them in the workplace, among other things. The work schedules of parents with young children (0 to 60 months) may influence and be influenced by their child care decisions, with non-standard hours of employment and irregular work schedules posing particular challenges for finding child care that meets families’ needs.
This snapshot uses data from 2019 National Survey of Early Care and Education (NSECE), together with the 2012 NSECE, to describe the characteristics of households with young children. This research snapshot reports on the work schedules of parents during a reference week in 2019 and describes how work schedules differed for households of different income levels; between one-parent and two-parent families; and in households where neither, one, nor both parents worked. This snapshot also compares findings between parental work schedules in 2012 and 2019.
Purpose
The work schedules of one and two-parent households can provide information about when and who may require non-parental care to support parental employment. This report provides updated counts and characteristics of parental work schedules, using newer nationally-representative data, and addresses information needs about the demand-side of early care and education (ECE).
Key Findings and Highlights
In 2019, each parent in fully-employed one- and two-parent households worked similar numbers of hours per week. Among two-parent households with only one working parent (and one non-working parent), the sole working parent worked more hours per week compared to the average hours worked by each individual parent in households with two working parents.
Among fully-employed households (either one-parent or two-parent), the number of hours per week that both parents in fully-employed two-parent households were simultaneously working per week was fewer than those of the sole parent in one-parent fully-employed households. Across fully-employed one- and two-parent households, each parent worked similar numbers of non-standard work hours each week, but very few two-parent fully-employed households had any non-standard hours when both parents were working.
Among fully-employed households, the proportion of non-standard hours per week that both parents in fully-employed two-parent households were simultaneously working per week was fewer than those of the sole parent in one-parent fully-employed households.
Findings for 2019 are very similar to those for 2012. Notable differences are: Parental work hours increased from 2012 to 2019, especially for children in households with incomes below the poverty level and for children in one-parent fully-employed households. However, hours when all parents were working in fully-employed one- or two-parent households were less likely to happen during non-standard times in 2019 relative to 2012.
Methods
This report uses detailed work hours data from the 2019 and 2012 National Survey of Early Care and Education (NSECE) household survey to compare parental work schedules for a nationally-representative sample of young children, and to compare these to similar tabulations for 2012.
Adults participating in the 2019 National Survey of Early Care and Education (NSECE) reported on their own and, if applicable, their spouse/partner’s work schedules during the week prior to their interview. The data allow researchers to count, for each hour of the week (for example, Monday 10-11 a.m.), the number of parents in each household who were in work-related activities.
Estimates of parental work schedules are presented at the child-level to elucidate how children experience their parents’ work schedules.
This snapshot uses data for 6,132 children in the 2019 Household Survey, and for comparisons to 2012, 7,918 children in the 2012 Household Survey.
Citation
Joshua Borton, A. Rupa Datta, and Ilana Ventura (2021). 2019 NSECE Snapshot: Parent Work Schedules in Households with Young Children. OPRE Report No. 2021-187, Washington DC: Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Glossary
- Fully-employed :
- Fully-employed households are households where all parents work. This may be either a one-parent/one-working-parent household or a two-parent/two-working-parents household.
- Non-standard work hours :
- Non-standard work hours are times outside of Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., that is, early morning, evenings, nights and weekends.
- Work-related activities :
- Work-related activities include work, schooling, job training, and commuting time between these activities and home.