Research article
Gender Differences in the Importance of Work and Family Roles: Implications for Work–Family Conflict
Rachel Gali Cinamon; Yisrael Rich
Sex Roles • 2002
Abstract
In this study we explored between- and within-gender differences in the importance of life roles and their implications for work–family conflict. In earlier research (Cinamon & Rich, 2002) we found 3 profiles of workers who differ in attributions of importance to work and family roles: persons who assigned high importance to both the work role and the family role (“Dual” profile); participants who ascribed high importance to the work role and low importance to the family role (“Work” profile); and participants who attributed high importance to the family role and low importance to the work role (“Family” profile). We used these profiles to clarify the relationship between gender and work–family conflict. Participants were 126 married men and 87 married women who were employed in computer or law firms. Significant between- and within-gender differences were found in the distribution of participants to profiles. Men were equally distributed throughout the profiles, whereas women were underrepresented in the Work category. More women than men fit the Family profile, and more men than women fit the Work profile. No gender differences were found for the Dual profile. Women reported higher parenting and work values than men did. Between-gender differences in work–family conflict were apparent, as were within-gender differences across profiles. Results demonstrate the value of examining both between- and within-gender variation in studies of gender and work–family conflict.
Keywords
work–family conflict · life roles · gender differences
Available formats
research_article
File instances
5
Extracted by meta-factory
Models (1)
Work–Family Conflict Model
evidence: MediumWork-Life Balance • Work–Family Conflict
Primary factors
Work Role ImportanceFamily Role ImportanceWork→Family ConflictFamily→Work ConflictField domains
Organizational BehaviorSociology
Instruments (2)
Life Role Salience Scale (LRSS)
developer: Amatea, Cross, Clark, & Bobby
Constructs
Attribution of importance to work and family rolesreliability: Cronbach alphas for the subscales ranged from .68 to .78
Work–Family Conflict Questionnaire
developer: Gutek, Searles, & Klepa
Constructs
Work–family conflictreliability: Cronbach alphas were .78 for the work→family conflict and .81 for the family→work conflict.
Constructs (2)
Work–Family Conflict
WFC_001A form of inter-role conflict in which the role pressures from the work and family domains are mutually incompatible in some respect.
Domains
Wellbeing & StressCulture & ClimateLinked models
Greenhaus and Beutell's Model of Work–Family ConflictThe conflict is bidirectional: work can interfere with family (work→family conflict), and family can interfere with work (family→work conflict).
Life Role Salience
LRS_002The importance attributed to various life roles, such as work, spousal, parental, and housework roles.
Domains
Culture & ClimateMotivationThe LRSS measures attribution of importance to four roles: work, spousal, parental, and housework.
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