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Out of Time: Work, Temporal Synchrony and Families

University of Sussex, m.thomas{at}sussex.ac.uk

Nicholas Bailey

University of Cardiff, baileyn3{at}cardiff.ac.uk

Drawing on data from in-depth interviews with seafarers and their partners, this article examines the impact of routine absence on couple and family relations. Using the lens of time, we identify how work patterns and extended absence lead to temporal desynchrony and fragmentation of the life course. We examine how seafarers' lives are both continuous and fractured and often out of step with lives at home.Temporal desynchrony was exemplified in reduced opportunities for couples jointly to produce temporal markers and share in significant calendar events. This lack of temporal harmony posed a challenge to family relations.These findings draw attention to the need for further research that embraces a more multifaceted understanding of time in the context of work and family life.

Key Words: desynchrony • family • migrants • time • work

Sociology, Vol. 43, No. 4, 613-630 (2009)
DOI: 10.1177/0038038509105411


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