• Journal of Family Resource Management and Policy Review
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.91-112
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• 2021

This study aimed to explore the influence of family characteristics on the work-life balance of early adolescents. A series of data analyses was conducted on adolescents' use of time in daily life on the basis of 2018 Korean Children and Youth Panel Survey (KCYPS 2018). We found that the work-life balance of youth is related to their parents' health status, presence of older siblings, household income, parenting attitude, parent-child communication time, and mother's occupation. The work-life balance of the fifth graders is more likely to be influenced by family characteristics compared with that of the eighth graders. In particular, the fifth graders' sleep deprivation is affected by the mother's occupation, but there is no significant effect on the eighth graders' sleep deprivation. An important factor in skipping breakfast is household income, with adolescents from low-income families tending to skip breakfast more than five days a week. In addition, parents' health status and parenting attitude are significantly related to skipping of breakfast in early adolescents. Household income is related to the after-school private tutoring hours of both the fifth and eighth graders; however, parenting attitude and mother's occupation are also significant influencing factors of the fifth graders' after-school study. Mother's occupation is related to excessive cell phone use; specifically, the fifth graders whose mothers work white-collar jobs, sales and services or manufacturing are more likely to play with cell phones more than three hours a day than those whose mothers are full-time housewives. These results suggest that the work-life balance policies targeted at the family characteristics of adolescents can improve family environments in a manner that enhances adolescents' life balance, thus supporting the well-being of early adolescents and their families.