scholarly journals The Reshaping of Daily Time during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Lone Parent’s Work-Family Articulation in a Low-Intensity Lockdown

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 239
Author(s):  
Núria Sánchez-Mira ◽  
Laura Bernardi ◽  
Benjamin Moles-Kalt ◽  
Cléolia Sabot
Keyword(s):  
Family Life ◽  
Home Schooling ◽  
Work And Family ◽  
Family Responsibilities ◽  
Low Intensity ◽  
Home Based ◽  
Conflicting Demands ◽  
Family Demands ◽  
Flexible Schedules ◽  
Work Family

The COVID-19 pandemic and related restrictions have triggered simultaneous changes across multiple life domains within a very short timeframe. This major shock has seriously challenged the ability of families to adapt to unanticipated changes over which they had little control. Switzerland instigated a low-intensity lockdown in response to COVID-19 in the spring of 2020. The resulting alterations to family life included changes to employment situations and working conditions (such as layoffs, temporary unemployment and home-based work) and the need to arrange home-schooling and childcare. This study examines how a sample of individuals with a trajectory of lone parenthood living in French-speaking Switzerland adapted their everyday lives to accommodate the shifting demands in the domains of employment and family responsibilities. Interviews were conducted between April and June 2020 for the longitudinal project “The multiple paths of lone parenthood”. Using this data, we analysed the COVID-related changes to work and family life, focusing on their time structuring. We found that parents who remained employed faced the greatest time pressures, although their experiences varied significantly depending on the adaptability of their work schedules, as well as the child(ren)’s age(s) and degree of autonomy. Home-based work and home-schooling resulted in more flexible schedules, although parents with the greatest work and family demands sought more time-structured organisation to facilitate their articulation. Social support was a crucial buffer for parents with conflicting demands across domains.

Work Family Balance: Challenges, Experiences, and Implications for Families

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph G. Grzywacz ◽  
◽  
Abdallah M. Badahdah ◽  
d Azza O. Abdelmoneium
Keyword(s):  
Family Life ◽  
Maternity Leave ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Work And Family ◽  
Family Responsibilities ◽  
Working Adults ◽  
Family Balance ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Work Family Balance ◽  
Work Family

A key objective of the study of work-family balance detailed in this report was to build an evidence base to inform policy creation or refinement targeting work-family balance and related implementation standards to ensure the protection and preservation of Qatari families. Two complementary projects were designed and implemented to achieve this key objective. The first project was a qualitative study involving in-depth interviews with 20 Qatari working adults (10 males and 10 females). The interviews were designed to learn the meaning of work-family balance among Qataris, identify the factors shaping work-family balance or the lack thereof, and collect firsthand detailed information on the use and value of policy-relevant work-family balance sup - ports for working Qataris. The second component was a survey designed to describe work-family balance among working Qatari adults, determine potential health and well-being consequences of poor work-family balance, and characterize Qataris’ use of and preferences for new work-family balance supports. The data from the qualitative interviews tell a very clear story of work-family balance among Qataris. Work-family balance is primarily viewed as working adults’ ability to meet responsibilities in both the work and family domains. Although work-fam - ily balance was valued and sought after, participants viewed work-family balance as an idyllic goal that is unattainable. Indeed, when individuals were asked about the last time they experienced balance, the most common response was “during my last vacation or extended holiday.” The challenge of achieving work-family balance was equally shared by males and females, although the challenge was heightened for females. Qataris recognized that “work” was essential to securing or providing a desirable family life; that is, work provided the financial wherewithal to obtain the features and comforts of contemporary family life in Qatar. However, the cost of this financial wherewithal was work hours and a psychological toll characterized as “long” and “exhausting” which left workers with insufficient time and energy for the family. Participants commented on the absolute necessity of paid maternity leave for work-family balance, and suggested it be expanded. Participants also discussed the importance of high-quality childcare, and the need for greater flexibility for attending to family responsibilities during the working day. Data from the quantitative national survey reinforce the results from the qualitative interviews. Work-family balance is a challenge for most working adults: if work-fam - ily balance were given scores like academic grades in school, the majority of both males and females would earn a "C" or lower (average, minimal pass or failure). As intimated in the qualitative data, working females’ work-family balance is statistically poorer than that of males. Poor work-family balance is associated with poorer physical and mental health, with particularly strong negative associations with depression. It appears the Human Resource Law of 2016 was effective in raising awareness of and access to paid maternity leave. However, a substantial minority of working Qataris lack access to work-family balance supports from their employer, and the supports that are provided by employers do not meet the expectations of the average Qatari worker.

scholarly journals Work-Family Balance or Greedy Organizations?

2008 ◽  
Vol 63 (1) ◽  
pp. 108-133 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosaria Burchielli ◽  
Timothy Bartram ◽  
Rani Thanacoody
Keyword(s):  
Family Conflict ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Work And Family ◽  
Work Family Conflict ◽  
Family Balance ◽  
Conflicting Demands ◽  
Work Family Balance ◽  
Family Demands ◽  
Work Family

This paper re-examines the concept of work-family balance by analyzing qualitative data from interviews conducted with Australian senior female staff and managers at a major metropolitan bank and a large, regional hospital. Extant research suggests that managers and staff in senior roles, who have greater autonomy and discretion than other employees, are better able to balance their work and family demands. This paper finds evidence for work-family conflict among participants, who perceive they have “no balance” and must make many personal sacrifices to meet the conflicting demands of work and family. Our findings are confronted with the greedy institutions framework which provides a suitable metaphor to understand the role of organizations in supporting the dual demands of work-family.

Consequences of Submissive Loyalty Corporations: An Empirical Analysis of Korean Female Employees’ Perception

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 51-74
Author(s):  
Kim Hwayeon ◽  
Nam Taewoo
Keyword(s):  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Family Conflict ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Work And Family ◽  
Office Work ◽  
Work Family Conflict ◽  
Family Responsibilities ◽  
Overtime Work ◽  
Female Employees ◽  
Work Family

The number of female employees in the Korean workforce has risen. However, the Korean corporate climate, characterized by collectivism, hierarchism, and senior and masculine privilege, leads them to experience worklife conflict and even halt their careers. This climate stems from a social and organizational culture deeply rooted in traditional Confucianism. In Korea, where housework and childcare have long been considered the province of women, female employees find it more difficult to balance office work and family life. The Korean corporate climate welcomes overtime work, and women who work outside the home must juggle this and family responsibilities. We conceptualize behavior such as acquiescing to overtime work as submissive loyalty and elucidate work-family conflict and decreasing job and life satisfaction as consequences thereof. The analysis, based on a structural equation model, revealed that submissive loyalty increases work-family conflict, which decreases job and life satisfaction.

scholarly journals Family-Friendly Policy and Work-Family Conflict Mitigation: The Role of Work-Family Boundary Negotiation

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-26
Author(s):  
Hooi-Ching Khor ◽  
Azura Abdullah Effendi
Keyword(s):  
Family Life ◽  
Family Conflict ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Work And Family ◽  
Work Family Conflict ◽  
Human Resource Policy ◽  
Family Friendly ◽  
Negotiation Style ◽  
Work Family ◽  
Conflict Mitigation

Family-friendly policy is impossible to fit all working individuals. The circumstance has been revealed in work-family literature which relationship between the policy use and the work-family conflict mitigation has been found inconsistent. Little focus is given in the past studies to ensure the human resource policy is truly useful in meeting individuals’ needs. Work, family or both work and family life could be important to individuals. The distinctive life centrality requires individuals to negotiate with the significant others who have influence on their work and family life arrangements to access and use the preferred and needed family-friendly policy. Boundary management practices seem to be useful for working individuals to reduce work-family conflict. This conceptual paper aims to propose work-family boundary negotiation to buffer the relationship of family-friendly policy use and work-family conflict. Boundary theory is the underlying theory embedded to explain the phenomena. Boundary negotiation style that could be employed for accessing the policy and managing work-family boundary effectively is identified. Future directions and implications for research on negotiation in dealing with work-family issue are discussed.

The impact of different supports on work-family conflict

2018 ◽  
Vol 40 (5) ◽  
pp. 903-920 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Maria Ferri ◽  
Matteo Pedrini ◽  
Egidio Riva
Keyword(s):  
Family Conflict ◽  
Work And Family ◽  
Hierarchical Regression ◽  
Human Resource Managers ◽  
Work Family Conflict ◽  
Family Responsibilities ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Effective Work ◽  
Work Family ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore whether and how the actual use of supports available from the state, organisations and families helps workers reduce perceived work–family conflict (WFC), explored from both works interfering with family (WIF) and family interfering with work (FIW) perspectives. Design/methodology/approach The study is based on a survey of 2,029 employees at six large Italian firms. To test hypotheses, a hierarchical regression analysis was performed. Findings WFC should be explored considering its bi-directionality, as supports have different impacts on WIF and FIW. Workplace instrumental support elicits mixed effects on WFC, whereas workplace emotional support and familiar support reduce both FIW and WIF. Research limitations/implications The study is limited to the Italian national context, and data were collected in a single moment of time, which did not allow for observing changes in employees’ lives. Practical implications Human resource managers, as well as policy makers, will find this study’s results useful in designing effective work–life balance policies and supports, in which attention is devoted mainly to promoting workplace emotional supports and facilitating familiar support. Social implications The study highlights that by reducing pressures from work and family responsibilities that generate WFC conditions, organisational and familiar supports elicit different effects, which should be considered carefully when defining policies and interventions. Originality/value This study is one of the few that compare the role of supports provided by actors in different sectors on FIW and WIF, thereby allowing for an understanding of whether the bi-directionality of the conflicts is a relevant perspective.

Relation Between Work-Family Life Conflict and Organizational Cynicism in Women

2019 ◽  
pp. 113-135 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yavuz Kağan Yasim
Keyword(s):  
Family Life ◽  
Banking Sector ◽  
Work And Family ◽  
Work Family Conflict ◽  
Software Analysis ◽  
Organizational Cynicism ◽  
Medium Level ◽  
Statistical Program ◽  
Work Family

The quantity and quality of women's employment has long been a worldwide issue and has particular resonance in Turkey. In Turkey, the banking sector is of particular significance due to its high number of female employees. Thus, owing to this phenomenon, the main focus of the chapter is on the banking sector. One of the greatest problems facing working women in life is work-family conflict, kind of role conflict. Furthermore, in recent years, organizational cynicism has long been a central plank in many studies. This study thus examines women's conflict with work and family life along with organizational cynicism and its numerous lower dimensions. Data gathered from 182 female bankers was analyzed using SPSS (Statistical Program of Social Sciences) software. Analysis of the results would suggest that some demographic variables have a significant impact upon organizational cynicism and the conflict between work and family life conflict. Also, there is a positively significant correlation in medium level between the variables.

Formal and Informal Supports for Managing Work and Family

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 207-216
Author(s):  
Kimberly A. French ◽  
Kristen M. Shockley
Keyword(s):  
Work And Family ◽  
Informal Support ◽  
Current Evidence ◽  
Family Management ◽  
Life Outcomes ◽  
Joint Work ◽  
Family Responsibilities ◽  
Working Adults ◽  
Work Family ◽  
Informal Supports

Many working adults manage joint work and family responsibilities and turn to supports offered at work and in the home to help manage these roles successfully. We review the current evidence on supports for improving work–life outcomes, including informal support from people at work and at home as well as formal organizational and national policies. Informal support is consistently moderately associated with better work–family experiences. Despite popular emphasis on formal policies, evidence for their effectiveness is relatively weak. We propose an agentic perspective to drive future understanding of how and when supports may be used to improve work–family management.

scholarly journals Balancing Work Life and Family Life: Problems and Remedies

Pravaha ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 217-232
Author(s):  
Tej Narayan Prasad Nepali
Keyword(s):  
Women Workers ◽  
Family Relationships ◽  
Family Life ◽  
Time Management ◽  
Work And Family ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Work Life Balance ◽  
Simple Task ◽  
Family Responsibilities ◽  
Life Balance

Work- family balance” is a term that refers to an individual’s perceptions of the degree to which s/he is experiencing positive relationships between work and family roles, where the relationships are viewed as compatible and at equilibrium with each other. Like a fulcrum measuring the daily shifting weights of time and energy allocation between work and family life, the term, “workfamily balance,” provides a metaphor to countervail the historical notion that work and family relationships can often be competing, at odds, and conflicting.There was a time when the boundaries between work and home were fairly clear. Today, however, work is likely to invade our personal life — and maintaining work-life balance is no simple task. Family work balance is a complex issue that involves financial values, gender roles, career path, time management and many other factors. Every person and couple will have their own preferences and needs. The problem of maintaining a balance between work life and family life is not a new one. But in the recent few years social scientists have started paying more attention to it. Now there is growing concern in Nepal and experts are of the view that a constant struggle to balance both sets of life will have serious implications on the health of an employee.The seriousness of this problem increases many times in the cases of women workers in our society which is a traditional one and where women are still supposed to have greater family responsibilities. They are expected to look after their children, entertaining the guest, taking care of their parents, in laws and other elderly members of their families as also managing kitchen and other household affairs. Neglecting any of these responsibilities for the sake of discharging work in office or in other institutions where they are employed is not tolerated by their husbands and other male members of the society. We talk of women empowerment but we fail to understand the problems which working women are facing in the tradition bound society like of ours. The study is a pioneering work to investigate into this problem. It is a modest attempt to understand the manner in which women workers try to maintain balance between their work and family lives. The study also explores the ways and means by which female workers can be enabled to maintain proper balance between the two sets of their lives. The findings of this study may be of great use to employers, and business executives as well, who have now come to realize that the responsibility to maintain a healthy work life balance rests on both the organisation and employee. Pravaha Vol. 24, No. 1, 2018, Page: 217-232

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document