Work-family conflict across the work-family life cycle: a study of dual career couples

Abstract

Work-family conflict (WFC) is a form of inter-role conflict that arises due to incompatible pressures from the work and family domains. It is a form of role conflict that has been found to have a detrimental effect on several aspects of the work and family lives of people. It tends to reduce job satisfaction, work quality, family and marital satisfaction, emotional and physical well-being as well as the overall quality of life. This is more so for dual career couples where both husband and wife are working in high involvement careers such as management, medicine, architecture, law etc. Several efforts have been made by organizations to combat the negative effects of WFC. Some of these efforts include providing employees with flexible work schedules, child and elder care leave, job sharing schemes, etc. However, these efforts have met with little success. A possible reason for this that has been suggested is that, organizations have over looked the changes that occur in the work and family lives of individuals as they simultaneously move along the stages of the career and the family life cycle. In fact, a review of the literature on WFC clearly indicates that there is a research gap as far as the examination of WFC across the work-family life cycle (WFLC) is concerned.[Work-Family Life Cycle is a term used to refer to the intersection of the stages of the work and family careers of individuals] With more and more women entering the professions and showing a tendency to marry men of similar profile, dual career couples are likely to be on the rise in the Indian context. Thus along with examining WFC across the life cycle, studying WFC of dual career couples become particularly interesting. In the light of the above discussion the central research problem of this study was defined as follows: An examination of work-family conflict across the work-family life cycle through a study of dual career couples. In particular the research questions that were examined were: 1. How does WFC vary across the WFLC? Does it vary for the two partners of the dual career couple, i.e. are there any significant gender differences in WFC across the WFLC? 2. What is the impact of the work-related variables on WFC across the WFLC? Are there any significant gender differences in this impact? 3. What is the impact of the family related variables on WFC across the WFLC? Are there any significant gender differences in this impact? On the basis of previous literature, some hypotheses regarding the relationship between the stages of the WFLC and WFC, and between WFC and its work & family-related causes, were generated and tested. The study relied on the survey method for data collection, and responses were obtained by using self-administered questionnaires. Respondents were identified, initially, with the help of the alumni list of the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, and later on by networking out through the already available contacts.

Analysis of the data was done using statistical techniques such as correlation, regression, t-tests and ANOVA. The results of the study indicated that: 1. WFC was highest during the early stage of the WFLC as compared to the other stages. 2. The set of individual and support-related antecedent variables explained the maximum variation in WFC, followed by the set of work-related antecedent variables, and then the family-related antecedent variables. 3. For women, the set of individual and support related antecedent variables explained the maximum variation in WFC, while for men, the set of work-related antecedent variables explained the maximum variation in WFC. 4. Although there were no significant differences in the extent of overall WFC experienced by men and women, an examination across the different forms of WFC and different stages of the WFLC, did reveal gender differences. In general, men had greater difficulty in managing their job and spousal roles, while women had greater difficulty in managing their job and homemaker roles. 5. Individuals tended to reduce WFC for themselves by specializing in one role vis-a-vis their spouse. In general, men tended to specialize in the work role, while women tended to specialize in the family role. 6. The WFC of wives was significantly related to the personal attitudes and expectations of the husband towards the work and family roles, while the WFC of the husbands was significantly related to the work experiences of the wife. 7. The WFC of the husband and wife taken together (i.e. of the couple taken as a unit) depended on their type a proneness, working hours, work role overload, job variety, career stage, social support from the boss, marital role reward value and parental role commitment and family type. The results of the study are likely to be of interest to organizational behaviorists as well as to family sociologists and psychologists as the study deals with both the domains of work and family. In particular, the results of the study are likely to provide inputs for the better design of work activities in organizations, to improve employee productivity by reducing role conflict-related stress. The results would also provide inputs to those working in the areas of counseling for effective role stress management.