The relationship of age span between children and time use in two- parent, two-child families

This study examined age span between children as a significant factor which affected the time use of wives and husbands in 1,983 two-parent, two-child families. Data were derived from the Northeastern Regional Project, NE 113, sponsored by the Science and Education Administration of the United States Department of Agriculture. Using a multiple regression technique to investigate the individual activities that comprised household work time, it was found that age of the younger child, age of the older child, and age span, the interaction between the ages of the children, were significantly related to and were responsible for 49% of the variation in wives’ and nearly 16% of the variation in husbands’ time devoted to the physical care of other family members. Age span was not related to travel time use for any activity but was significantly related to secondary time use for non-physical care of family members by both parents. Age span, the interaction variable, accounted for differences between the ages of the children and explained the variation in effects of the differences at various ages. Plotting the significant interactions revealed five patterns of time use. The most prevalent pattern was when the age of the younger child was very young and the age of the older child increased, the most time was used for the activity; as the age of the younger child approached school age, and the age of the older child increased, the amount of time used for the activity leveled off, or, neither increased or decreased. Then, as the age of the younger child increased still further, and the age of the older child increased, time used for the activity, increased. This pattern fit wives’ time used for total work, household work, and physical care of family members; husbands’ time used for physical care of family members; and both parents’ secondary time used for physical care of family members. Wives’ time used for paid work and volunteer work followed an opposite pattern. The data have show that spacing of children has a direct bearing on parents’ time use decisions.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph. D.

Level thesis:degree_level

doctoral

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Housing, Interior Design, and Resource Management

Department dc:contributor.department

Housing, Interior Design, and Resource Management

Grantor dc:publisher

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Year dc:date.issued

1986

Author dc:creator

• Dyer, Doris Y.

Chair dc:contributor.committeechair

• Barclay, Nancy A.

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Lovingood, Rebecca P.
• Wolfle, Lee M.
• Woodard, Janice E.
• Martin, Esther A.

Statement dc:rights

• In Copyright

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/10919/50009

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/50009