Overtime Work and Marital Stability: Evidence from the China Family Panel Studies

Against the backdrop of the rising divorce rate and the normalization of overtime work in China, this study clarifies the relationship between overtime work and marital stability. Using data from the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) from 2014 to 2022, systematically examines the impact of overtime work on marital stability and its internal mechanism from the dual perspectives of gender and generational differences. The results show that: Overtime work has a significant negative impact on marital stability, and this effect operates through the mechanism of reducing marital satisfaction. The operational logic of this mechanism can be explained by the work-family conflict theory under rigid time constraints. The impact of overtime work on marital stability varies significantly across gender and generations. On the gender dimension, both husbands' and wives' overtime work significantly reduces marital stability, nevertheless, the negative effect is more pronounced when the wife works overtime. Regarding generational dimension, compared to the older generation, the younger generation experiences a more pronounced impact of overtime work on marital stability. The negative influence of overtime work on marital stability persists over the long term. When matching the current-period overtime work with marital status in subsequent years across different intervals, overtime work continues to exert a persistent negative impact on marital stability. Furthermore, this influence primarily stems from husbands' overtime work—though its intensity gradually diminishes over time, it remains statistically significant throughout the entire observation period. The study concludes that, in the Chinese context, overtime work has a significant and persistent negative impact on marital stability, with particularly pronounced effects on women and younger generations. The findings provide empirical evidence for helping female and younger employment groups better balance work and family relationships.