Compatibility of family and work: how do families in the Ruhr region/Germany deal with mobility-related challenges?

Abstract

Mobility-related challenges severely impact on everyday lives of families with young children. Since this is especially true for families with children younger than ten, here we focus on the mobility coping strategies and patterns they develop to reconcile family and work life. The paper is based on a qualitative empirical study in which 40 mothers and fathers were interviewed in the Ruhr region in 2018. The results show that their most pressing mobility challenges are related to time-based and financial restrictions. Common strategies in adapting to these challenges are commuting by car, by involving the grandparent generation in childcare, and by reducing the mother’s (paid) working hours. Especially the interviewed mothers see the latter as a compromise rather than a satisfactory measure. Families who cannot resort to these strategies might be faced with social exclusion.