Arbeitszeiten und Vereinbarkeit von Familie und Beruf in der Sozialen Arbeit

Based on the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB) and the Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (BAuA) Employee Survey 2018, social workers are compared to other occupational groups concerning the extent of working hours and timing (evenings/nights, Saturdays, Sundays), necessary flexibility (standby duty, on-call duty, duty on demand) and compatibility of working time planning with private and family interests. Furthermore, employees with children are analyzed concerning professional and private sacrifices. Female social workers with children under 18 years old in the household are required to work on evenings and nights far less often than those in other occupations. Also, working on Saturdays is less frequent in this group, whereas working on Sundays occurs more frequently than in other occupations. Furthermore, female social workers with children under 18 years old in the household are confronted with comparably high employer-initiated demands concerning working time flexibility. The possibility to consider private and family interests in working time planning is on an average level in social work but considerably higher than for teaching and nursing personnel. Concerning career sacrifices due to children, female social workers are on the same level as the large group of other occupational groups but differ from kindergarten and schoolteachers and nursing personnel. Among female employees with children under 18 years old in the household analyses on the level of occupational groups show that career sacrifices and private sacrifices due to children are strongly negatively correlated. This implies that this female group is forced to accept sacrifices in at least one area, which is not the case among male workers with the same household constellation. Female social workers are on the average level of occupational groups concerning their decisions on which sacrifices to accept. Needs for action result in the areas of leadership, working time planning and team characteristics. A goal could be a stronger male involvement in family life.