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Work-to-Family and Family-to-Work Spillover: The Implications of Childcare Policy and Maximum Work-Hour Legislation

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Abstract

This paper addresses the relationship between individual-level work-to-family and family-to-work spillover and two country-level policy measures: childcare policy and maximum work hour legislation. Coupling Gornick and Meyers’ (Families that work: policies for reconciling parenthood and employment, 2003) policy measures with individual-level data (N = 7,895) from the 2002 International Social Survey Programme, the authors analyze whether men and women in countries with stronger childcare policies and maximum work-hour legislation exhibit work-to-family and family-to-work spillover. The authors find that neither childcare policy nor maximum work-hour legislation is significantly associated with work-to-family spillover. Stronger childcare policy is associated with lower family-to-work spillover for women, especially for women with young children. Maximum-hour legislation is associated with greater family-to-work spillover for women, with a significantly larger effect for mothers of young children.

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Notes

  1. The childcare policy index is a composite measure of the following measures. Early childhood education and care (ECEC): (1) guaranteed slot for children 0–1–2; (2) percent enrolled in public care who are one or younger; (3) percent enrolled in public care who are 1–2; (4) cost to parents of children enrolled in public care aged 1–2; (5) percent enrolled in public care who are 3–4–5; (6) cost to parents of children enrolled in public care aged 3–4–5; (7) typical hours for care of children 3–4–5; (8) percent enrolled in care for age 6; (9) quality of care; (10) tax relief for ECEC. School Scheduling: (11) starting age of school; (12) hours per day; (13) days per week; (14) continuity of school day. Family leave: (15) weeks of full-paid leave available to mothers; (16) presence of paid paternity leave; (17) gender equality scale/incentives of fathers; (18) presence of paid leave after 3rd birthday; (19) paid sick-child leave; (20) expenditures on leave (US dollars). Working time: (21) normal weekly work hours; (22) normal vacation time. The raw data are calculated in subindices and then into a single index. For a more detailed discussion of the equations reference Gornick and Meyers (2003) Appendix C

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the Stockholm University and its Linnaeus Center on Social Policy and Family Dynamics in Europe (SPaDE).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sociology, University of Hawaii at Hilo, 200 W Kawili, Hilo, HI, 96720, USA

    Leah Ruppanner

  2. Department of Sociology, University of California, Irvine, 3245 Social Science Plaza B, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA

    Joy E. Pixley

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  1. Leah Ruppanner
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Correspondence to Leah Ruppanner.

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Ruppanner, L., Pixley, J.E. Work-to-Family and Family-to-Work Spillover: The Implications of Childcare Policy and Maximum Work-Hour Legislation. J Fam Econ Iss 33, 283–297 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10834-012-9303-6

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