Commuter partnerships : balancing home, family, and distant work

This study is about commuter partnerships. The commuter partnership is a particular non-standard household arrangement in which, for part of the time, one partner lives near his or her work and away from the communal family home, because the commuting distance is too great to travel on a daily basis. This study seeks to explain the function of a commuter partnership in the life courses of couples who opt for this household arrangement and to look into the day-to-day experiences of these couples with regard to their working and family lives. The research is of an exploratory nature and it is based on in-depth interviews with commuter couples in the Netherlands. Results show that most couples view their commuter partnership as a temporary solution. The choice of a commuter partnership can be understood as a practical solution for couples and families to balance the commitments to work, partnership, family, and residence.