Working outside office hours does not necessarily harm the family. Working in the evening, at night or at weekends actually gives parents more opportunities to care for their children themselves. This is the conclusion of Melissa Verhoef’s PhD thesis ‘Work schedules, childcare and well-being’. It puts this type of work schedule in a more positive light than previous research found and prevailing public opinion holds. Verhoef defended her doctoral thesis on Friday 19 May at Utrecht University. Her research was carried out with funding from the NWO Research Talent programme.