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Work Attitudes in the Cohort Studies. Prof. Shirley Dex Centre for Longitudinal Studies 12 th October 2007. British Birth Cohort Studies. Fully representative samples of the British population Based on one week’s births - approximately 17,000 babies Followed up from birth into adulthood
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Work Attitudes in the Cohort Studies Prof. Shirley Dex Centre for Longitudinal Studies 12th October 2007
British Birth Cohort Studies • Fully representative samples of the British population • Based on one week’s births - approximately 17,000 babies • Followed up from birth into adulthood • Four British Birth Cohort Studies • 1946 : National Survey of Health and Development (MRC funded) • 1958 : National Child Development Study • 1970 : British Cohort Study 1970 • 2000/1: Millennium Cohort Study Housed at CLS
1958 Birth Cohort Study • Sample of over 17,000 infants born in March 1958 • Not initially planned as a longitudinal study • Sample followed at ages 7, 11, 16, 23, 33, 42, 46 (prospective study) • Retrospective life history data collected at age 23, 33, 42, 46 • For example • work history • partnership history • fertility history • housing history • Approximately 12,000 individuals are still participating • Information on individuals can be linked from birth and childhood through into adult life • Now funded by ESRC with data collected every four years
Housing Relationships Pregnancies and births Periods of lone parenthood Absent children Children and the wider family Family income Employment Qualifications achieved Courses attended Computer access and usage Basic skills General health Smoking, drinking and exercise Experience of crime Social participation NCDS – 2004 Sweep (Age 46) – Telephone interview
Exam results Parents’ social class Voting behaviour Training and skills Parental divorce Savings Gets married Born 1958 1st Child 1984 2nd Child 1987 Age 11 x Age 7 Mother smoking Job 1 Job 2 Job 3 Parental interest in school work Psychological well being Domestic division of labour Working hours preferences Free school meals Maths and reading tests Union membership Teachers’ assessment of child’s behaviour Hypothetical life history Age 16 2000 2004 1991 1981 Age 23 Age 42 Age 46 Age 33
BCS70: 1970 Birth Cohort Study • Representative sample of over 16,000 infants born in 1970 • Sample followed at ages 5, 10, 16, 26, 30, 34 • Approximately 12,000 individuals are still participating • Now funded by ESRC with data collected every four years • Co-ordination with NCDS facilitates cross cohort comparisons
BCS70 – 2004 Sweep CORE: All CMs Interview (CAPI) - updating social, economic, health info Self-completion (CASI)- attitudes, family life, drinking, skills, well-being, crime Adult assessments (CAPI/CASI/Paper) - functional literacy, numeracy, dyslexia PARENT & CHILD: CMs with resident natural/adopted child aged <17 Parent Interview (CAPI) - age specific (0<17) childcare, health & schooling, etc Parent Self-completion (Paper) - age specific questions on development, relationships, behaviour, discipline, school absence/exclusion, reading & schoolwork Child assessments (CAPI/Paper) - age specific (3<17) assessments of naming, copying, reading, spelling, number Child (10<17) self-completion (Paper) - leisure, relationships, school, the future drugs, crime, self-esteem In a 1 in 2 sample
BCS70 - 2004 Sweep (Age 34) • CORE: All Cohort Members • Interview (CAPI): • Housing • Partnerships – current and former • Births and other pregnancies • Periods of lone parenthood • Children and the wider family • Family income • Employment status/employment history • Academic education • Vocational training • Access to and use of computers • Basic skills • General health • Diet and exercise • Height and weight • Family activities, social participation, social support
Summary of employment questions (BCS70, age 34) • Full employment histories • Job title • SOC90 and SOC2000 coding • NSSEC; social class; and socio economic group • Hours of work & when works (e.g. weekends/shifts etc) • Security of employment • Membership of pension schemes • Travel to work time • Job satisfaction • If unemployed, reason for unemployment • If unemployed, whether wants employment • Reasons for not working if out of the labour market
50 46 42 38 34 33 30 26 23 16 16 11 10 7 5 Cohort Comparisons Life cycle effects
Overall job satisfaction “All things considered, how satisfied or dissatisfied are you with your present job overall? Please choose your answer from this card”. • Very satisfied • Satisfied • Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied • Dissatisfied • Very dissatisfied NCDS: 1981 – Age 23 (INT), 2000 – Age 42 (INT), 2004 – Age 46 (INT), 2008 – Age 50 (INT) BCS: 2000 – Age 30 (INT), 2004 – Age 34 (INT), 2008 – Age 38 (INT)
Job satisfaction continued “I am going to read out some things which affect how people feel about their job. Can you tell me how satisfied or dissatisfied with each one in your present job? Please use one of the answers from this card.” • Very satisfied • Satisfied • Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied • Dissatisfied • Very dissatisfied NCDS: 1981 – Age 23 (INT)
Job satisfaction (continued) • Your usual take home pay • Your prospects • The people you work with • Your physical working conditions • The way your firm or organisation is run • The way your abilities are used • The interest and skill involved in your job NCDS: 1981 – Age 23 (INT)
Work-life balance “Do you think the demands of your work interfere with the demands of home and family life?” Yes / No NCDS: 2000 – Age 42 (INT), 2008 – Age 50 (INT) BCS: 2000 – Age 30 (INT)
Work-life balance – demands of work Two more questions: “Do you find that in physical terms your work demands ... 1) a lot of you.. 2) a moderate amount or 3) very little?” “Do you find that mentally or emotionally your work demands… 1) a lot of you.. 2) a moderate amount or 3) very little?” NCDS: 2000 – Age 42 (INT), 2008 – Age 50 (INT) BCS: 2000 – Age 30 (INT)
Work-life balance – Hours of work “Assuming that you would be paid the same amount per hour, would you prefer to work fewer hours than you do now, work more hours than you do now, or carry on working the same number of hours?” • Work fewer hours than you do now, • work more hours than you do now • or carry on working the same number of hours? NCDS: 2000 – Age 42 (INT), 2008 – Age 50 (INT) BCS: 2000 – Age 30 (INT)
Work-life balance – new question for NCDS 2008 “In general, how well do your working hours fit in with your family or social commitments outside work?” • Very well • Well • Not very well • Not at all well (Taken from European Working Conditions Survey) NCDS:2008 – Age 50 (SC)
Commitment to current employer “In a year from now do you expect to be…. • Working for the same employer, • working for a different employer • or not working at all?” NCDS: 1981 – Age 23 (INT), 2000 – Age 42 (INT), 2008 – Age 50 (INT) BCS: 2000 – Age 30 (INT), 2004 – Age 34 (INT)
Kanungo’s scale of job involvement “We would now like to ask you a few questions about how you feel about your current employment. Please read the following statements and record how much you agree or disagree with each. • The most important things that happen to me involve my present job • To me, my job is only a small part of who I am. • I am very much involved personally in my job. • I live, eat and breathe my job.” NCDS:2008 – Age 50 (SC)
Kanungo’s scale of job involvement (contd.) • Most of my interests are centred around my job. • I have very strong ties with my present job which would be very difficult to break • Usually I feel detached from my job. • Most of my personal life goals are job-oriented. • I consider my job to be very central to my existence. • I like to be absorbed in my job most of the time. NCDS:2008 – Age 50 (SC)
Kanungo’s scale of job involvement (contd.) Six-point scale: • Strongly agree • Agree • Somewhat agree • Somewhat disagree • Disagree • Strongly disagree NCDS:2008 – Age 50 (SC)
Work ethic – agreement with 3 statements “Having (almost) any job is better than being unemployed.” NCDS: 1981 – Age 23 (INT), 1991 – Age 33 (SC), 2000 – Age 42 (SC), 2008 – Age 50 (SC) BCS: 1996 – Age 26 (SC), 2000 – Age 30 (SC) “If I didn’t like a job I’d pack it in, even if there was no other job to go to.” NCDS: 1991 – Age 33 (SC), 2000 – Age 42 (SC), 2008 – Age 50 (SC) BCS: 1996 – Age 26 (SC), 2000 – Age 30 (SC) “Once you’ve got a job it’s important to hang on to it even if you don’t really like it.” NCDS: 1991 – Age 33 (SC), 2000 – Age 42 (SC), 2008 – Age 50 (SC) BCS: 2000 – Age 30 (SC) (5 point scale – Strongly agree, agree, neither agree nor disagree, disagree, strongly disagree)
Work - ethic Note: Agreement defined as those who either reported that they ‘strongly agreed’ or ‘agreed’ with statement.
Gender roles I am going to read out some statements that people sometimes make about work. Thinking about your own experience and feelings can you please tell me how much you agree with each statement in turn…. “If a woman wants to she can get ahead as easily as a man”. NCDS: 1981 – Age 23 (INT) (5 point scale – Strongly agree, agree, neither agree nor disagree, disagree, strongly disagree)
Gender roles (continued) “There should be more women bosses in important jobs in business and industry.” NCDS: 1991 – Age 33 (SC) BCS: 1996 – Age 26 (SC) “Women who do not have a job are dull.” NCDS: 1991 – Age 33 (SC) “If a child is ill and both parents are working it should usually be the mother who takes time off to look after the child.” NCDS: 1991 – Age 33 (SC) BCS: 1996 – Age 26 (SC) (5 point scale – Strongly agree, agree, neither agree nor disagree, disagree, strongly disagree)
Gender roles (continued) “Being a housewife is just as fulfilling as working for pay.” NCDS: 1991 – Age 33 (SC) “I would not want a woman to be my boss.” NCDS: 1991 – Age 33 (SC) “It is less important for a woman to go out to work than it is for a man.” NCDS: 1991 – Age 33 (SC) BCS: 1996 – Age 26 (SC) (5 point scale – Strongly agree, agree, neither agree nor disagree, disagree, strongly disagree)
Gender roles (continued) “Women should have the same chance as men to get some training or have a career.” NCDS: 1991 – Age 33 (SC) “Wives who don’t have to work should not do so.” NCDS: 1991 – Age 33 (SC) “Men and women should all have the chance to do the same kind of work.” NCDS: 1991 – Age 33 (SC) BCS: 1996 – Age 26 (SC) (5 point scale – Strongly agree, agree, neither agree nor disagree, disagree, strongly disagree)
Gender roles (continued) “A mother and her family will be happier if she goes out to work.” NCDS: 2000 – Age 42 (SC) BCS: 2000 – Age 30 (SC) “All in all, family life suffers when the mother has a full time job.” NCDS: 2000 – Age 42 (SC) BCS: 2000 – Age 30 (SC) (5 point scale – Strongly agree, agree, neither agree nor disagree, disagree, strongly disagree)
Gender roles (continued) Note: Agreement defined as those who either reported that they ‘strongly agreed’ or ‘agreed’ with statement.
Gender roles (continued) Note: Agreement defined as those who either reported that they ‘strongly agreed’ or ‘agreed’ with statement.
Other questions NCDS 1981 – Age 23: • Work is the most important thing in life • People think you are a nobody, if you are unemployed • Having an enjoyable social life is more important than having an enjoyable job • Having a job gives people a sense of purpose • Most jobs are dull and boring • The only reason for going out to work is the money (5 point scale – Strongly agree, agree, neither agree nor disagree, disagree, strongly disagree)
Other questions • NCDS 1991 – Age 33 • A person must have a job to feel a full member of society (SC) • A person can get satisfaction out of life without having a job (SC) • BCS 2004 – Age 34 • Everyone should work to provide for themselves (SC) (5 point scale – Strongly agree, agree, neither agree nor disagree, disagree, strongly disagree)
CLS Birth Cohort Studies: Web Resources Resources available via CLS website: (www.cls.ioe.ac.uk/Cohort/mainncds.htm) • Annotated Questionnaires and CAPI Documentation • Technical Reports – e.g. on sampling, instrument development and fieldwork of MCS • Data Dictionaries • Cohort Studies Data Notes
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