Researching the 60-Hour Dual-Earner Workweek
Keywords
dual-income families, employment, job flexibility, work-family fit
Abstract
This study is the first known large-scale research specifically examining the 60-hour workweek hypothesis, which proposes that the ideal for intact households with children is for both parents to participate in paid employment but with the combinedwork hours of the mother and the father not to exceed 60 hours per week. Three groups of married couples with children are compared: full-time/full-time; at least one partner part-time (60-hour); and full-time/not employed. The relationship between these arrangements and eightwork and family outcomes—job satisfaction, job flexibility, job performance, organizational commitment, work-family fit, work-to-family conflict, family-to-work conflict, and family satisfaction—is examined. The sample is from International Business Machines Corporation (N= 3,097) and consists mostly of employees in professional positions. Sixty-hour couples report significantly greater job flexibility, improved workfamily fit, enhanced family satisfaction, and lesswork-to-family conflict. Results are discussed as they relate to the recent trend for professional mothers to leave theworkplace.
Original Publication Citation
Hill, E. J., Mead, N. T., Dean, L. R., Hafen, D. M., Gadd, R., Palmer, A. A., & Ferris, M. (2006). Researching the 60-hour dual-earner work week: An alternative to the “opt out revolution.” American Behavioral Scientist. 49, 1184-1203. doi: 10.1177/0002764206286385
BYU ScholarsArchive Citation
Hill, E. Jeffrey, "Researching the 60-Hour Dual-Earner Workweek" (2006). Faculty Publications. 2278.
https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/facpub/2278
Document Type
Peer-Reviewed Article
Publication Date
2006-05-01
Permanent URL
http://hdl.lib.byu.edu/1877/5132
Publisher
American Behavioral Scientist
Language
English
College
Family, Home, and Social Sciences
Department
Family Life
Copyright Status
© 2006 Sage Publications