Consequences of Father’s Long Work Hours on the Intergenerational Relationship Quality: A Qualitative Study

For a long time, the male-breadwinner model has been ruling the Iranian family. Change in the lifestyle and economic conditions of our society today, have led to an increase in men's working hours and they are forced to work overtime in order to earn a decent living. Under these circumstances, job stress and physical and mental fatigue caused by long working hours affect men, families, especially housewives and children. The purpose of this study was to see the challenges of men's long working hours and the consequences of the father's short time spent with the family on the quality of intergenerational family relationships. 

Methods and Data: 

The study was conducted with a qualitative approach using thematic analysis. Participants were 15 housewife women who had children, and whose husbands had long working hours. The participants were selected and interviewed by purposive and theoretical sampling. 

Categories obtained from this study include: compensation for paternal absence, limited participation in parenting, taking care of the children, and monopolizing the mother role. 

The most important consequence of the research is the individual presence of mothers in the life and upbringing of their children. Due to the low presence and reduction of the father's participation in the family, not only are housewives faced with additional pressure to raise and take care of children, but also the patterns of intergenerational relationships in the family are affected and the role of the father in childrearing is marginalized. The conflict between the paternal and occupational roles of fathers is, on the one hand, a reflection of the continuity of the male-breadwinner model of the Iranian family, and on the other hand, it is the consequence of the increasing economic pressures on the well-being of the Iranian family during recent years. 

Key Message: 

Designing family support policies to improve the conditions and well-being of the family can reduce the pressure of men's long working hours, and improve the quality of intergenerational family relationships. On the other hand, women's active participation in the family's income, probably through redefining the traditional roles of parents in the family, affects the pattern of intergenerational relations in the family.