Weekend Parents, higher divorce chances for Two Career Couples: TeamLease

Mumbai: 54 per cent feel they have become 'weekend parents', 34 per cent feel that two careers substantially increase the chances of a divorce, and 32 per cent feel that it is not possible for women to pursue their career with the same velocity after a child break. These were some of the findings of staffing company TeamLease's second survey as part of the ''India's changing world of work'' series, with the theme of ''Two Career Couples.''

The survey seeks to understand the implications of both spouses in the workplace. The key findings of the current survey conducted by global research firm Synovate for TeamLease are as below.

Survey Results

•  Overall satisfaction levels of married working couples are 87 per cent, with Pune leading at 96 per cent and Bangalore at 79 per cent.
• 34 per cent of couples felt that two careers substantially increase the chances of a difference of opinion leading to divorce.
• 'Where there is a will there is a way' says New Delhi, with 56 per cent of couples disagreeing that 'fights on quality time and work-travel are common among working couples'.
• Almost 32 per cent of those polled agree that it is not possible for women to resume their careers with the same velocity or pace after a child break.
  • Barring New Delhi and Pune, where mothers are responsible, both spouses in other cities share the responsibility to take care of the child. 
• 43 per cent of New Delhi parents do not attend their children's school function. At 46 per cent in New Delhi and 78 per cent in Pune, it is the mothers only who attend the school function.
• Working parents from both Bangalore and Mumbai say they are not just weekend parents.  Pune, Hyderabad and New Delhi agree they are weekend parents.
• 48 per cent of the couples polled would willingly follow their spouses to other cities for career, when compared to 52 per cent who were not willing to hamper their career for the sake of their spouses.
• 48 per cent polled felt the quality of work-life balance will improve, if spouses were working in the same organisation, as opposed to 21 per cent who thought otherwise.
• All cities polled agree that working in odd shift hours had an impact on their marital relationships, barring New Delhi.

Increased urbanisation, lower education dropout by women and the need for two incomes is driving higher labour force participation by women. Said Surabhi Mathur, General Manager, Permanent Staffing of Teamlease, ''This survey highlights the bittersweet implications of two careers; the stress on marriages and childcare is often perceived to blunt the economic upside. The continued difficulties for women looking to re-enter the workforce after a child break and the high unwillingness to move cities to follow their spouses' careers highlights the continued challenges for women spouses in the Indian workplace. Companies that think creatively and deeply about infrastructure for two career couples have a unique opportunity to not only increase gender diversity but also draft labour market outsiders to tackle the skill shortage.''

A structured questionnaire was administered using a mix of telephonic and computer-aided-telephonic-interviewing (CATI) technology to two types of Target Groups: working corporate executives married without kids and married with kids for a sample size of 425.

The cities where in the questionnaire was administered were Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Pune, and Hyderabad.