The Impact of Parents’ Work Schedules on Time Spent with Children and Teenagers

Katie Genadek, University of Minnesota

This paper adds to the growing body of research on schedule control by investigating the relationship between flexible work schedules for parents and the amount of time they spend with their children. Unlike research using self reported work-family conflict, this paper directly analyzes the actual time available for children, which is related to the children’s outcomes and parents’ well-being. This analysis is performed using nationally representative time diary data (ATUS) merged with the CPS work schedules supplement. In addition to focusing on time spent in childcare and with young children, this analysis also investigates the relationship between parents’ work schedules and the time teenagers report spending with their parents.