This research was undertaken to explore how and why people with caring responsibilities make decisions related to paid work. It also examined whether people use information on support available and longer term consequences in making their decisions.
This was a qualitative study drawing on 50 interviews with women and men who were the primary caregiver, or in a few cases, shared caring responsibility equally with their partner. The qualitative approach allowed in depth exploration of the research topics. Having a sample with a number of different characteristics provided breadth but the small sample size means that the findings cannot be generalised to the population as a whole e.g. not all men will feel the same way as the men in the sample. At the same time, the interviews did produce some consistent findings and highlighted areas for further research.
The population of interest was people with at least one child up to the age of eighteen years, including parents of children with special needs, and people who have caring responsibilities for another adult, including adults with disabilities and older adults. Researchers used the snowball technique to select 50 people with caring responsibilities from Wellington, Auckland, Nelson (and Motueka) and the Wairarapa. The data was transcribed and coded into an NVivo database and analysed thematically.
Key Results
Factors influencing decisions and patterns of participation in paid work A number of interconnected factors influenced decisions about paid work. The key factors were:
• beliefs about parental and family care of children, and attitudes towards formal early childhood education services and informal childcare
• paid work factors relating to money, personal satisfaction, intellectual stimulation and feeling valued.
When people had a child, one parent usually left paid work because of their commitment to parental care. This pattern occurred independent of ethnic group, marital status, income, occupation or type of caring responsibility. Which parent left paid work depended to some extent on income, but also on views or assumptions about gender roles. When children were very young, that is under one or two years old, many people assumed that the woman would stay at home. When making a decision, people took into account the importance of career, who coped best with being at home with a child, and commitment to breastfeeding.
Most parents believed that parental care for young children was important. Few used or wanted to use full-day or full-time formal early childhood education services for children under two. When children were three or four, participants used early childhood education services such as playcentre where they stayed with their children. Family members, such as parents and siblings who lived nearby, often offered childcare and other support to parents. European, Maori and Pacific participants had similar levels of family support. People who did not have family living nearby often arranged their own and/or their partners’ schedules, so that they could look after pre-school children and were home for older children after school. When men were the primary caregiver, the major factors underpinning that decision were income and the relative importance of career to their partner. Other factors included single parenthood and wanting to minimise personal income to reduce child support obligations. Most of the 14 men adopted the caregiving role when their children were older.
A number of factors affected how long people stayed out of paid work. These included their views about formal early childhood education services and informal childcare, having another child, wanting satisfaction and an income from work, wanting some control over income, and a work opportunity arising.
People usually returned to work part time when their youngest child was more independent, often at primary school. Because of their beliefs around parental care, people often stayed in part time work for up to 10 years, depending on how many children they had. Most people in full time paid work had older children and a work history that included periods of no work and part time work. People who put a high value on work, and had another family member to care for their young children, were more likely to be in continuous full time paid work.
Decision making process
Decisions about participation in paid work evolved over time, and built on earlier decisions such as choice of occupation and where to live, and their experiences at home and school. Most people found the decision making process straightforward. They discussed their decisions with their partners if they had them, and less frequently with other family members. They did not seek information to make decisions about paid work, nor did they feel the need to look for information. They were aware of public debate over early childhood education and informal childcare, but did not seek information about this in order to make a decision.
Effects of decisions
Although most participants felt some negative effects from caring responsibilities on their paid work, income, and time for themselves, these did not outweigh the primacy of their caring responsibilities.
Some people not in paid work or working few hours thought they would not be able to return to highly paid and demanding jobs. Others took the opportunity to study, aiming for a better paid and more satisfying job when they returned to work. Although people clearly had less income when not in paid work or working less hours, this was not a significant issue, as they put more value on being home with young children. Having control of some income was more of an issue than the amount of income.
People working full time or near to it said that the effects of their family commitments on paid work were largely negative. Some were unable to attend professional development and networking opportunities. Others were not able to do extra tasks or take on additional responsibilities required to advance their careers, or felt that senior positions at work were incompatible with their domestic responsibilities.
People in full time paid work felt their increased income reduced financial stress, which had positive effects on family relationships. However, for many women, being in full time paid work or working longer part time hours meant that they had less time for their families and for themselves.
Other people’s attitudes
Most other people had positive attitudes towards participants’ decisions, with most support coming from partners, family, and friends who held similar beliefs. People in different situations or who had made different decisions, including work colleagues and acquaintances, were sometimes less supportive. Participants who were not in paid work agreed that government policy was not supportive of their position.
Some people working part time thought that others perceived this as an easy option, and did not take into account their relatively lower income.
Men who were partners and not in paid work or working very few hours, experienced some negative social attitudes, as well as social constraints on their behaviour. Single men received more approval and support. The Pacific men in the study felt the weight of expectations about traditional gender roles, but these views did not alter their decisions.
People with ‘other’ caring responsibilities
Having caring responsibilities for older adults had an impact on people’s leisure time and time for themselves, but did not necessarily affect decisions about paid work. Responsibility for adults with disabilities had more impact on decisions about paid work, often leading to a reduction in working hours.
Caring for a child with special needs also had a profound effect on people’s lives, but did not always affect decisions about paid work. People not in paid work or working part time found that having a child with special needs compounded the effect of other factors, such as living in a rural area or having three or four other children.
Satisfaction with decisions
Most people were satisfied that they had made the best decision they could given their circumstances, even if this put them in a situation which was not in itself completely satisfying. People not in paid work were dissatisfied with the lack of acknowledgment of the importance of parenting. Some found the lack of income and being a full time parent difficult. Elements of both caring and working were satisfying for people in part time work, but they found it hard juggling two roles and having to compromise both aspects of their lives. People in full time paid work were also satisfied with their decisions, but they too had to juggle two roles and had less time for parenting than they would like.
Where participants had high levels of flexibility within their employment, they were more satisfied and found it easier to manage their caring and paid work responsibilities. Some participants in paid work felt their lives would be easier if employers took a more active and lateral approach to workplace flexibility.
Conclusion
This study has shown that multiple factors influence people’s choices about paid work, and that different situations suit different people. This reflects the findings of other studies.
Participants made decisions that, as far as possible, balanced their beliefs about caring with their commitment to work and their need for intellectual satisfaction, social contact and money. They based their decisions on personal preferences, rather than on information about financial benefits or services that might support them in their role.
The study has identified a number of areas for further research and policy development. These include exploring the experiences and views of a wider variety of people; understanding men’s situations better; developing ways to support people’s preferences to care for very young children (those under the age of two) themselves; exploring ways to support people’s preferences for family and other informal care for children; promoting flexible working; and exploring the relevance of the nature and quality of work in decision making.