The round-the-clock availability that cell phones and pagers have brought to people’s lives may be taking a toll on family life, a new study suggests.
The study, which followed more than 1,300 adults over 2 years, found that those who consistently used a mobile phone or pager throughout the study period were more likely to report negative “spillover” between work and home life — and, in turn, less satisfaction with their family life.
Spillover essentially means that the line between work and home begins to blur. Work life may invade home life — when a parent is taking job-related calls at home, for instance — or household issues may start to take up work time.
In the latter scenario, a child may call mom at work, not to say that he aced his English test but that the “microwave exploded,” explained Noelle Chesley, an assistant professor of sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and the author of the study.
The problem with cell phones and pagers seems to be that they are allowing for ever more spillover between work and home, according to Chesley’s findings, published in the Journal of Marriage and Family.
This may be especially true for working women, the study found.
via MSNBC
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