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Parenthood and productivity: A study of demands,...
Journal article

Parenthood and productivity: A study of demands, resources and family-friendly firms

Abstract

We examine how the presence of children is related to women’s and men’s productivity. We hypothesize family demands, family resources, and family-friendly workplaces are also related to productivity. Productivity for 670 Alberta law firm lawyers is analyzed using a standardized measure of productivity referred to as billable hours. The results suggest that mothers with school-aged children are less productive than non-mothers, whereas fathers with preschool-aged children are more productive than non-fathers. While time spent on household and childcare tasks significantly reduces women’s productivity, we find little support for the benefits of family resources or working in a family-friendly firm for women. Rather, fathers seem to benefit more: family resources are positively related to their productivity and family-friendly benefits allow them more time for leisure. These results support the assumption that having children is negatively related to women’s productivity but challenges the belief that family-friendly policies are primarily beneficial only to mothers trying to balancing work and family.

Authors

Wallace JE; Young MC

Journal

Journal of Vocational Behavior, Vol. 72, No. 1, pp. 110–122

Publisher

Elsevier

Publication Date

February 1, 2008

DOI

10.1016/j.jvb.2007.11.002

ISSN

0001-8791

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