Educational Attainment and Gender Differences in Work–Life Balance for Couples across Europe: A Contextual Perspective

• Kromydas, Theocharis ^[1]
  1. [1] University of Glasgow

     University of Glasgow

     Reino Unido

     
• Localización: Social Inclusion, ISSN-e 2183-2803, Vol. 8, Nº. 4, 1, 2020 (Ejemplar dedicado a: Division of Labour within Families, Work–Life Conflict and Family Policy), págs. 8-22
• Idioma: inglés
• DOI: 10.17645/si.v8i4.2920
• Enlaces
  • Texto completo
• Resumen

  • The current article aims to explain the interrelationships between the educational attainment of individuals living in households with heterosexual partners, their work–life balance (WLB) and the macro-economic climate of the country they live in, using data from the European Social Survey. WLB is a complex concept, as it is not only determined by factors related to someone’s employment or domestic work and childcare responsibilities, but also by decisions informed by personal experiences and circumstances, subjective perceptions and preferences. Moreover, in households with cohabiting partners, this decision-making process involves certain compromises where financial incentives, interests, gender and power dynamics play an important role. Since educational attainment is positively related to labour market outcomes, such as employment and wages, while at the same time more women are participating in education and the labour market, the gender conflict on the division of work and time within households intensifies and traditional gender roles are challenged. WLB is at the heart of this conflict operating as a mechanism through which division of work and time is reconciled on the individual and household level. Results from the current article reveal great heterogeneity between the 17 European countries examined. Perhaps surprisingly, educational attainment can have a detrimental effect on the WLB of spouses and cohabiting partners, especially for women whose level of WLB seems also more sensitive to fluctuations of the macro-economic climate of the country they live in. However, there is an indication that when an economy goes into recession, higher education has a cushioning effect on female’s WLB compared to relatively better economic times.

• Referencias bibliográficas
  • Anttila, T., Oinas, T., Tammelin, M., & Nätti, J. (2015). Working-time regimes and work–life balance in Europe. European Sociological...
  • Arts, W. A., & Gelissen, J. (2010). Models of the welfare state. In F. G. Castles, S. Leibfried, J. Lewis, H. Obinger, & C. Pierson...
  • Bakker, A. B., & Demerouti, E. (2007). The job demands-resources model: State of the art. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 22(3), 309–328....
  • Becker, G. (1981). A treatise on the family. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
  • Bianchi, S. M., &Milkie, M. A. (2010).Work and family research in the first decade of the 21st century. Journal of Marriage and Family,...
  • Bianchi, S. M., Milkie, M. A., Sayer, L. C., & Robinson, J. P. (2000). Is anyone doing the housework? Trends in the gender division of...
  • Braun, M., Lewin-Epstein, N., Stier, H., & Baumgärtner, M. K. (2008). Perceived equity in the gendered division of household labor. Journal...
  • Brines, J. (1994). Economic dependency, gender, and the division of labor at home. American Journal of sociology, 100(3), 652–688.
  • Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979). The ecology of human development. Experiments by nature and design. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
  • Ciccia, R., & Bleijenbergh, I. (2014). After the male breadwinner model? Childcare services and the division of labour in European countries....
  • Coltrane, S. (2000). Research on household labor: Modelling and measuring the social embeddedness of routine family work. Journal of Marriage...
  • Crompton, R. (1999). Restructuring gender relations and employment: The decline of the male breadwinner. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  • Crompton, R. (2006). Employment and the family. The reconfiguration of work and family life in contemporary societies. Cambridge: Cambridge...
  • Crompton, R., & Lyonette, C. (2006). Work–life balance in Europe. Acta Sociologica, 49(4), 379–393.
  • Deutsch, F. M. (2007). Undoing gender.Gender & Society, 21(1), 106–127.
  • Dotti Sani, G. M., & Scherer, S. (2018). Maternal employment: Enabling factors in context.Work, Employment and Society, 32(1), 75–92.
  • Duncan, S. (2005). Mothering, class and rationality. Sociological Review, 53(1), 50–76.
  • Esping-Andersen, G. (1990). The three worlds of welfare capitalism. Cambridge: Polity Press.
  • Esping-Andersen, G. (2009). The incomplete revolution: Adapting to women’s new roles. Cambridge: Malden.
  • ESS Round 2. (2004). European social survey round 2 data [Data file edition 3.6]. Bergen: Norwegian Centre for Research Data. https://doi.org/10.21338/NSD-ESS2-...
  • ESS Round 5. (2010). European social survey round 5 data [Data file edition 3.4]. Bergen: Norwegian Centre for Research Data. https://doi.org/10.21338/NSD-ESS5-...
  • Eurofound. (2017). In-work poverty in the EU. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union.
  • Fagan, C., Lyonette, C., Smith, M., & Saldaña-Tejeda, A. (2012). The influences of working time arrangements on work–life integration...
  • Fenger, H. J. M. (2007). Welfare regimes in Central and Eastern Europe: Incorporating post-communist countries into a welfare-regime typology....
  • Ferrera, M. (1996). The southern model of welfare in social Europe. Journal of European Social Policy, 6(1), 17–37.
  • Fields, G. S. (2003). Decent work and development policies. International Labour Review, 142(2), 239–262.
  • Fraser, N. (1994). After the family wage. Gender equity and the welfare state. Political Theory, 22(4), 591–618.
  • Gallie, D. (2013). Economic crisis, quality of work, and social integration: The European perspective. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  • Gallie, D., & Russell, H. (2009). Work–family conflict and working conditions in Western Europe. Social Indicators, 93(3), 445–467.
  • Gautie, J., & Schmitt, J. (Eds.). (2010). Low-wage work in the wealthy world. New York, NY: Russell Sage Foundation.
  • Gershuny, J. (2000). Changing times. Work and leisure in postindustrial society. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  • Ghai, D. (2003). Decent work: Concept and indicators. International Labour Review, 142(2), 113–145.
  • Gornick, J. C., & Meyers, M. (2009). Gender equality: Transforming family divisions of labor. London: Verso.
  • Grunow, D., & Evertsson, M. (Eds.). (2016). Couples’ transitions to parenthood: Analysing gender and work in Europe. Cheltenham: Edward...
  • Grunow, D., & Evertsson, M. (Eds.). (2019). New parents in Europe: Work-care practices, gender norms and family policies. Cheltenham:...
  • Gunderson, M. (2002). Rethinking productivity from a workplace perspective (CPRN Discussion Paper). Ottawa: Canadian Policy Research Networks...
  • Hakim, C. (2000). Work–lifestyle choices in the 21st century: Preference theory. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  • Heisig, J. P. (2011). Who does more housework—rich or poor—a comparison of 33 countries. American Sociological Review, 76(1), 74–99.
  • Hofacker, D., & König, S. (2013). Flexibility and work– life conflict in times of crisis: A gender perspective. International Journal...
  • Hurley, J., Enrique, F. M., & Storrie, D. (2013). Employment polarisation and job quality in the crisis: European jobs monitor 2013. Dublin:...
  • ILO. (2003). Global employment trends. Geneva: ILO. Kalleberg, A. (2011).Good jobs, bad jobs: The rise of polarized and precarious employment...
  • Kaminska, O. (2020). Guide to using weights and sample design indicators with ESS data. European Social Survey. Retrieved from https://www.european...
  • Kan, M. Y., Sullivan, O., & Gershuny, J. (2011). Gender convergence in domesticwork: Discerning the effects of interactional and institutional...
  • Korpi, W., Ferrarini, T., & Englund, S. (2013). Women’s opportunities under different family policy constella- tions: gender, class, and...
  • Kromydas, T. (2015). Higher education and labour market dynamics in crisis: A European comparative study (Unpublished Doctoral dissertation)....
  • Kromydas, T. (2017). Rethinking higher education and its relationship with social inequalities: Past knowledge, present state and future potential....
  • Lewis, J. (1992). Gender and the development of welfare regimes. Journal of European Social Policy, 2(3), 159–173.
  • Lewis, J., & Giullari, S. (2005). The adult worker model family, gender equality and care: The search for new policy principles and the...
  • Lundberg, S., & Pollak, R. A. (1996). Bargaining and distribution in marriage. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 10(4), 139–158.
  • McGinnity, F. (2014). Work–life conflict in Europe. In A. C. Michalos (Ed.), Encyclopaedia of quality of life and well-being research (pp....
  • McGinnity, F., & Whelan, C. T. (2009). Comparing work– life conflict in Europe. Evidence from the European social survey. Social Indicators...
  • Mincer, J. (1958). Investment in human capital and personal income distribution. Journal of Political Economy, 66(4), 281–302.
  • Muñoz de Bustillo, R., Fernandez-Macıas, E., Anton, J. I., & Esteve, F. (2009). Indicators of job quality in the European Union. Brussels:...
  • Naldini, M., & Solera, C. (2018). When husbands and wives don’t agree, who ‘wins’? Value/practice dissonance in the division of work around...
  • National Bureau of Economic Research. (2010). Business cycle dating committee. Cambridge,MA: National Bureau of Economic Research. Retrieved...
  • Ochsner, M., & Szalma, I. (2017). Work–life conflict of working couples before and during the crisis in 18 European countries. In M. J....
  • Oinas, T. (2018). The division of labour within households: Men’s increased participation? In M. Tammelin (Ed.), Family, work and well-being,...
  • Ostry,M. J. D., Berg,M. A., & Tsangarides,M. C. G. (2014). Redistribution, inequality, and growth. Washington, DC: International Monetary...
  • Pahl, R. (1984). Divisions of labour. Oxford: BasilBlackwell.
  • Parsons, T. (1949). The social structure of the family. In R. Ashen (Ed.), The family (pp. 241–74). New York, NY: Hayner.
  • Pfau-Effinger, B. (2004). Development of culture, welfare states and women’s employment in Europe. Aldershot: Ashgate.
  • Russell, H., & McGinnity, F. (2013). Under pressure: The impact of recession on employees in Ireland. British Journal of Industrial Relations,...
  • Saxonberg, S. (2013). Fromdefamilialization to degenderization: Toward a new welfare typology. Social Policy & Administration, 47(1),...
  • Seligman, M. E., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2014). Positive psychology: An introduction. In M. Csikszentmihalyi (Ed.), Flowand the foundations...
  • Steiber, N. (2009). Reported levels of time-based and strain-based conflict between work and family roles in Europe: Amultilevel approach....
  • Steiber, N., Berghammer, C., & Haas, B. (2016). Contextualizing the education effect on women’s employment: A cross-national comparative...
  • Stier, H., & Yaish, M. (2014). Occupational segregation and gender inequality in job quality: A multi-level approach. Work, Employment...
  • Sullivan, O. (2004). Changing gender practices within the household: A theoretical perspective. Gender & Society, 18(2), 207–222.
  • Tammelin,M. (Ed.). (2018a). Family, work andwell-being, emergence of new issues. Cham: Springer.
  • Tammelin, M. (2018b). Work, time and family: Is it possible to identify European family working time regimes? InM. Tammelin (Ed.), Family,...
  • Tausig, M., & Fenwick, R. (2001). Unbinding time: Alternate work schedules and work–life balance. Journal of Family and Economic Issues,...
  • Treas, J., & Drobnič, S. (Eds.). (2010). Dividing the do- mestic: Men, women, and household work in crossnational perspective. Stanford,...
  • Wall, K., & Escobedo, A. (2013). Parental leave policies, gender equity and family well-being in Europe: A comparative perspective. InM.M....
  • Wallace, C. (2017). From the Isle of Sheppey to the wider world. In G. Crowand & J. Ellis (Eds.), Revisiting divisions of labour. The...
  • West, C., & Zimmerman, D. H. (1987). Doing gender. Gender & Society, 1(2), 125–151.
  • Wright, E. O. (1997). Class counts: Comparative studies in class analysis. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
  • Yates, C. A., & Leach, B. (2006). Why “good” jobs lead to social exclusion. Economic and Industrial Democracy, 27(3), 341–368.