This report is an international literature survey, focusing on the impact of long and atypical hours working on family life, but particularly on the effects on couple relationships and the wellbeing of children. It is concentrated mainly on Europe and the UK, but quotes other sources where little relevant European work is available. The Relationships Foundation has had a strong research interest in this area for a number of years and has previously commissioned two studies with the National Centre for Social Research; firstly, the evidence for the extent of weekend working and, secondly, on its impact on family life. The Foundation’s sister body in Australia, Relationships Forum, undertook a similar exercise two years ago looking at Australian and Canadian research and found an emerging body of evidence showing that long and atypical working patterns are associated with dysfunctional family environments. This project seeks to examine the European and US evidence for similar associative patterns.
Authors: Clare Lyonette, Michael Clark
Click the image to view the PDF in your browser.
Right click and select ‘Save As’ to download the file to your computer.