Double Day Work: How Women Cope with Time Demands
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Source: Shriner, Joyce.
(n.d.). Double day work: How women cope with time demands.
Retrieved November 10, 2006 from the Ohio State University
Extension website: http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/5000/5163.html
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The participation of women in the paid labor
force has increased steadily in recent years. While women
take on additional responsibilities away from home, their
household duties often remain the same. According to a research
report by Walker and Woods in "Time use: A measure of
household production of family goods and services," women
in the labor force average 76 hours in total weekly work,
which includes 33 hours dedicated to household tasks. The
time requirements of household and paid work are complicated
and often conflicting. The term "double day" has
been used to describe the dual work responsibilities that
many women have.
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Although the amount of domestic work performed
by men has increased, women still carry the primary burden
of household chores. In The Gender Factory: The Apportionment
of Work in American Households, author Sarah Berk
indicated that husbands' contributions to domestic work
are typically small, and the total time estimates of
husbands' household work hours range from 10 to 15 hours
a week.
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Coping Strategies
Melody Hessing in "More than Clockwork: Women's Time
Management in their Combined Workloads," Sociological
Perspectives 37(4) examines how women organize their lives
to accomplish their many tasks. Hessing notes that, "Women
with both paid and household responsibilities must appear to
be successful in accomplishing both, or they risk censure or
criticism as mothers and/or as employees." She found that,
in general, the women in her research do not describe themselves
as passive captives of societal inequities, but instead recognize
and purposely manage the demands and constraints in their lives.
Specifically, Hessing found that women use the following time
management strategies: prioritization, accommodation of time
use, routinization of activities, synchronization of events,
and preparation for contingencies.
Paid employment takes priority in scheduling time. However,
the women negotiate arrangements with employers to adapt their
work hours when domestic necessities or sick children require
their attention.
Routinization of activities helps keep families on schedule.
Some families develop checklists for children to use as reminders
of what they need to get done. For example, a morning chart
might include: get up, wash face, brush teeth, comb hair, dress,
eat breakfast, get school lunch money, get backpack, music
instruments, library books, etc., kiss family good-bye, and
catch the bus.
Women synchronize many chores, thereby accomplishing several
tasks in a short time period. Synchronization includes doing
two chores at one time, or arranging errands so that many can
be completed simultaneously, thereby eliminating extra trips.
Doing the laundry while fixing dinner is one example of synchronizing
chores. Picking up dry cleaning and doing the grocery shopping
while a child takes a music lesson is another.
Contingency arrangements are developed in advance to manage
family emergencies and unusual circumstances, such as sick
children, difficulties with babysitters, or special events
(birthdays, overnight trips, etc.). Contingency arrangements
replace or change regular schedules. The women typically negotiate
a change of schedule with their employer or delegate the responsibility
to their spouse, an extended family member, or to neighbors.
Researchers have identified a number of other strategies and
aspects of coping with multiple demands. These include the
use of remote-timing methods to assure that family members
meet deadlines. For instance, as a mother leaves for work she
might set the oven timer to ring so that her children will
know when it is time to catch the bus.
Other mothers use the telephone and/or television to keep
their children on schedule. Children know that it is time to
leave for school when a particular television program is over.
Many mothers have their children phone them at work to check
in when they arrive home in the afternoon.
Often women are responsible for the smooth scheduling of other
family members activities. Many use calendars to record each
individual's activities. Notes are used as reminders of special
events.
Weekends are spent catching up on household chores from the
previous week and preparing for the coming week. Many women
prepare large quantities of food on weekends, then freeze meals
to be warmed up on busy days.
Many women select outside social activities very carefully.
Some continue to volunteer time to organizations that are important
to them. Although the amount of time that they are able to
donate is often less than it was before they had paid employment.
Double day work provides many time management challenges for
women. However, by using various strategies, women successfully
meet the demands of their busy lives.
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