EMBARGOED UNTIL 00:01 HOURS 26 JANUARY 2006
New interim findings show that in nine out of ten two-parent working families in the UK, one or both partner’s work encroaches into unsocial hours, whether evenings, early mornings, nights or weekends. The research, by the National Centre for Social Research, draws on the UK Time Use Survey 2000 which uses diaries to record how people spend their time and with whom.
The study confirms existing research that more than two out of five parents with dependent children are regularly working at weekends.
This figure is likely to increase significantly if large retailers get their way and restrictions on Sunday trading are lifted’ said Michael Clark, Chief Executive of ‘Keep time for children’, a Relationships Foundation initiative aimed at promoting the importance of family time.
Concern is highlighted by a Government review of the Sunday trading laws – with a lot of pressure from large retailers to remove all opening restrictions. With 2.7m retail staff in the UK, any change could impact many thousands of families and make it harder for parents to spend time with their children at weekends.
‘There is no doubt that in the UK today, weekend working eats into time that parents and children can spend together’, said Michael Clark. ‘With the Government’s desire to put good parenting near the top of its agenda, it is very surprising that they should be considering an extension to the present six hour limit on Sunday trading which could be so detrimental to family life’.
Notes
The study into family life and atypical work is being carried out by the National Centre for Social Research and is funded by the Nuffield Foundation. The full report will be released by the National Centre for Social Research and Relationships Foundation in the summer.
Keep time for children is an initiative of Relationships Foundation, a think-and-do tank that studies and promotes the benefits of healthy personal and professional relationships across society.
www.relationshipsfoundation.org
www.keeptimeforchildren.org.uk
For further information, please contact Nicola Templeton, Communications Adviser, 07986 120610 or 01223 341278