Heavy work investment and work–family balance among Japanese dual-earner couples

Purpose The implications of the work-family balance (WFB) of dual-earner couples are well known; however, the extant literature on this topic has failed to adequately explore the context of Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), specifically Nigeria. The purpose of this paper is to examine the implications of the WFB of dual-earner couples in Nigeria. Design/methodology/approach This paper employs a qualitative methodology in order to explore the effect of couples’ dual-earner status on their WFB in an African context by using Nigerian medical practitioners as the empirical focus. Findings The findings reveal that the dual-earner status provides some respite from financial hardship and improves family finances, which subsequently enhances WFB. However, the dual-earner status also has negative impacts on WFB in terms of work performance, dysfunctionality, and associated societal problems. Originality/value This paper provides insights into the WFB of dual-earner couples in the non-western context of SSA, highlighting the previously unexplored implications of dual-earner status in the context of SSA.

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Work-Family Balance and Well-Being among Japanese Dual-Earner Couples

Contemporary Occupational Health Psychology ◽

10.1002/9781118713860.ch6 ◽

2014 ◽

pp. 84-96 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Akihito Shimazu ◽

Kyoko Shimada ◽

Izumi Watai

Keyword(s):

Well Being ◽

Dual Earner ◽

Family Balance ◽

Work Family Balance ◽

Work Family

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The Long Arm of an Unsupportive Work-Family Culture in Work Organizations: Crossover to the Partner’s Work-Family Balance Satisfaction in Dual-Earner Couples

Applied Research in Quality of Life ◽

10.1007/s11482-021-09911-z ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Janine Bernhardt ◽

Mareike Bünning

Keyword(s):

Emotional Support ◽

Structural Equation ◽

Multivariate Regression Analysis ◽

Work And Family ◽

The Other ◽

Family Culture ◽

Dual Earner ◽

Family Balance ◽

Work Family Balance ◽

Work Family

AbstractThis study analyzes how an unsupportive organizational work-family culture experienced by one employed parent at work can cross over to their partner and reduce the latter’s satisfaction with work-family balance (WFBS). Workplace cultures that are structured around the “ideal worker” norm have enormous and often detrimental impacts on parents’ abilities to manage work and family roles. Drawing on crossover theory, we argue that these kinds of unsupportive work-family cultures have adverse consequences, not only for working parents but also for their partners. We hypothesize that if one partner experiences an unsupportive work-family culture, they can provide less instrumental and emotional support to the other partner, which reduces the other partner’s WFBS. We use a unique dataset of 556 dual-earner couples with young children surveyed in Germany in 2015 and perform multivariate regression analysis and structural equation modelling. We find robust evidence that mothers were less satisfied with work-family balance if fathers reported an unsupportive work-family culture in their organization. There was only weak evidence, however, for crossover between an unsupportive work-family culture at the mother’s workplace and the father’s WFBS. Mediation analysis suggests that these associations were transmitted in part through reduced emotional support, whereas instrumental support did not appear to play a role. The findings lend support to the argument that an unsupportive work-family culture in one parent’s workplace reduces the emotional support they provide to their partner, which reduces the partner’s WFBS.

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Gender Equality in Europe and the Effect of Work-Family Balance Policies on Gender-Role Attitudes

Social Sciences ◽

10.3390/socsci8010005 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 8 (1) ◽

pp. 5 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Vera Lomazzi ◽

Sabine Israel ◽

Isabella Crespi

Keyword(s):

Gender Role ◽

Gender Equality ◽

National Income ◽

Gender Role Attitudes ◽

Gender Mainstreaming ◽

Dual Earner ◽

Family Model ◽

Family Balance ◽

Work Family Balance ◽

Work Family

This study starts from the assumption that the context of opportunities for work-family balance affects individual attitudes toward gender roles, a main indicator of support for gender equality. Compared with extant research, the present study adopts a more articulated definition of “opportunity structure” that includes national income level and social norms on gender attitudes, measures of gender-mainstreaming policies implemented at the company level (flextime), and different work-family balance policies in support of the dual-earner/dual-caregiver family model (e.g., parental-leave schemes and childcare provisions). The effects of these factors are estimated by performing a cross-sectional multilevel analysis for the year 2014. Gender-role attitudes and micro-level controls are taken from the Eurobarometer for all 28 European Union (EU) members, while macro-indicators stem from Eurostat, European Quality of Work Survey, and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Our results show that both institutional and workplace arrangements supporting the dual-earner/dual-caregiver family model are associated with more egalitarian gender-role attitudes This is particularly true concerning availability of formal childcare for 0- to 3-year-olds among institutional factors, as well as work-schedule flexibility among workplace factors, probably as they enable a combination of care and paid work for both men and women.

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