Parents Working in Retail: Juggling Jobs, Children, and Financial Responsibilities

Background:

In 2015, 4.6 million people were employed as retail salespersons, making it the largest occupation in the country (BLS, 2015). Retail jobs tend to pay low wages and to have precarious work schedules that can fuel income instability (Lambert, Fugiel & Henly, 2014). According to public discourse, the majority of these jobs are occupied by teenagers and young adults, but in reality, only 23% of retail workers are between the ages of 16 and 24 (Aspen Institute, 2012). Furthermore, an estimated 37% of retail workers have children under the age of 18 (Sakai, Matos, & Galinsky, 2008).

This paper focuses on the experiences of parents working in hourly retail jobs at Gap, Inc., a national retail firm. Responses to an employee survey are used to address the following questions:

To what extent do parents working hourly retail jobs in this firm report financial hardship, household food insecurity, and interferences between caregiving and work? What occupational and household factors are associated with the likelihood of financial hardship, household food insecurity, and interferences between caregiving and work?   

Methods:

All hourly employees working in October 2015 at 31 Gap stores located in San Francisco and Chicago were invited to participate in an on-line survey (62% response rate). Eighteen percent of respondents (N=100) reported having at least one child 18 years or younger living with them.  Multivariate and logistic analyses are used to estimate how occupational factors, such as wage rate and number and stability of work hours, combine with workers’ household characteristics, including working multiple jobs and having a partner, to help explain parents’ reports of food insecurity, financial hardship, and caregiving interferences.

Results:

The majority (60%) of the parents in the sample stated that their only job was at Gap, 35% did not live with a partner, and about 33% reported an annual household income of less than $30,000. These parents reported rates of household food insecurity that are substantially higher than the national average of 14%, e.g., 34% indicated that “the food [they] bought in the last month didn’t last and [they] didn’t have money to get more.” Parents were also at high risk of hardship, e.g., late on bill and rent payments.  Initial analyses suggest that occupational characteristics are significantly associated with parents’ reports of financial hardship, food insecurity, and caregiving interferences. For example, multivariate analyses suggest that full-time Gap employees experience more interference with children’s activities than part-time employees, regardless of additional jobs and the presence of a partner. Although variation in wage rate is restricted in the sample, wage rate is negatively associated with financial strain for both full-time and part-time employees, suggesting that even modest increases in wages can matter for family economic security.

Implications:

The discussion will address implications for legislative initiatives to raise wages and improve work hours and for social workers working with low-income parents to improve household economic security and parenting practices.