Work-Family Conflict and Gender Equality: Theory Development, Responses of Policy Regimes, and Immigrants' Experiences

Abstract

Working parents across countries perceive increased work-family conflict. Workfamily conflict not only has detrimental effect on the well-being of individuals, families, and organizations, but also contributes to gender inequality and care crisis in society. This dissertation consists of three studies that examine work-family conflict in terms of theory, policy, and understudied populations. The first study examined theories of workfamily conflict through critical realism and gender lenses. Based on an in-depth critique of current theoretical and empirical evidence, an integrated-theoretical framework informed by role theory, gendered organization theory, and the ecology of the gendered life course approach was developed. The second study comparatively ranked OECD countries’ statutory policies of parental leave, early childhood education and care, and flexible work arrangements, in terms of their levels of supportiveness and gender equality based on the Supportiveness Index and Gender Equality Index. Among 33 countries, Sweden ranks 1st based on both indices, while the United States ranks 30th for Supportiveness and 29th for Gender Equality. Mexico, Switzerland, and Turkey rank last for both indices. A new typology of four policy regimes was further constructed based on a care-employment analytic framework using secondary qualitative and quantitative data. This new set of regime types represents countries’ varied abilities to help parents reconcile work and family demands, while promoting gender equality. The third study is a systematic review of immigrants’ experiences of work-family conflict in the U.S. Four categories of factors associated with immigrants’ work-family conflict were identified: 1) work-domain factors, 2) family-domain factors, 3) health outcomes, and 4) immigration, acculturation, and gender roles. Job demands are positively associated with work-family conflict, while having job control and job support are negatively associated with work-family conflict. More domestic work demands and economic responsibilities in the family domain have contributed to work-family conflict, whereas having domestic support for childcare and housework has mitigated it. Workfamily conflict has contributed to deteriorating physical and mental health outcomes among immigrants. Finally, this study revealed that immigration per se has uniquely shaped immigrants’ work-family interactions. Social work implications of the three studies were discussed to better address work-family conflict and related gender inequality.