Employed parents' reactions to work-family conflicts: Adaptive strategies of scaling back in Germany

Objective: This study investigates the extent to which employed mothers and fathers scale back on working hours or job pressures in response to work-to-family conflicts (WFC). Background: Drawing on the concept of adaptive family strategies, it is assumed that WFC is an antecedent to a reduction in work demands. Considering partners’ gender ideology net of other resources and characteristics, we can expect to see gender differences in the adoption of this strategy. Relatively little research has been conducted on associations among WFC, gender ideology, gender, and work-related coping strategies. Method: We use six waves of the German Family Panel (pairfam, release 11.0), covering the survey years 2012-2019, to examine the effect of WFC and gender ideology on employed mothers’ and fathers’ work-related coping strategies (N=791 mothers and N=1292 fathers). OLS regression is used to estimate the effect of WFC at  and gender ideology  on changes in job pressure and working hours between  and . Results: Parents who experience WFC are more likely to reduce their job pressure and less likely to scale back on working hours. Gender differences in the reaction between mothers and fathers on WFC only occur in connection with traditional gender ideology. Conclusion: Scaling back seems not to be a commonly used strategy to react to WFC.Die Studie untersucht den Umfang, zu dem erwerbstätige Mütter und Väter als Reaktion auf work-to-family conflicts (WFC) ihre Arbeitsstunden oder ihren beruflichen Druck reduzieren. Hintergrund: Gemäß dem Konzept adaptiver Familienstrategien kann angenommen werden, dass WFC ein Grund für die Reduzierung von Arbeitsanforderungen ist. Bei der Adaption dieser Strategien erwarten wir geschlechtsspezifische Unterschiede in Abhängigkeit der Geschlechterideologie des Paares, unabhängig von anderen Charakteristika. Bisher gibt es nur wenig Forschung zur Beziehung zwischen WFC, Geschlechterideologie, Gender und berufsbezogener Bewältigungsstrategien. Wir verwenden sechs Wellen des Deutschen Familienpanels (pairfam, 11.0), die die Surveyjahre 2012 bis 2019 umfassen, um den Effekt von WFC und Geschlechterideologie auf die berufsbezogenen Bewältigungsstrategien erwerbstätiger Mütter und Väter zu ermitteln (N=791 Mütter und N= 1292 Väter)

Perceptions of Technological Change at Work through a Gender Lens

In Germany, like in many other countries, much of the research on technological changes and their consequences has been devoted to investigating the field of industrial production. A shortcoming of this research is that many female-dominated occupations are excluded per se from consideration. However, whether and to what extent men's and women's perceptions of technological changes in their workplace differ is an important subject of debate. This article addresses the following questions: To what extent are men and women experiencing changes in the technologies of their workplace? Are women less likely to experience such changes? Do men and women anticipate to differing degrees a threat to their future job security and the skills demanded of them? And do they expect technological changes in their workplace to impact their health or work performance demands? The analysis, based on data from the Socio-Economic Panel Study (SOEP, 2015-2017), compares men and women across gender-typical and gender-atypical occupations and identifies conditions that increase or decrease perceived risks of technological change at work. The results indicate that technological change is perceived as most threatening in female-dominated occupations, and especially by women

Gender-specific patterns and determinants of spillover between work and family: The role of partner support in dual-earner couples

Objective: The study investigates how partner support affects different types of work-to-family and family-to-work conflicts in dual-earner couples divided by gender and parenthood. Background: In Germany, as in other Western Countries, interrole conflicts between work and family increase, especially within dual-earner couples. Only few studies focused on the effects of partner support on different types of these conflicts. Method: We use longitudinal data deriving from waves 6 to 10 of the German Family Panel (pairfam) to uncover the extent to which the perception of having a supportive partner reduces time- and strain-based work-to-family and family-to-work conflicts. We conduct longitudinal structural equation models based on information of 1,252 persons, which are full-time employed and live in a dual-earner relationship. Results: Whereas for men partner support helps reduce stress-based work-to-family conflicts, for women perceived partner support is not beneficial. Within a subsample of parents, the experience of work-to-family conflicts is likely irrespective of partner support. Overall, women’s family-to-work conflicts appear to be reduced by their partners’ support whereas for men this detrimental effect only applies in the case of stress-based family-to-work conflicts. Conclusion: To sum up the findings, the differences for men and women in the effect of partner support on different types of interrole conflicts indicate a still existing impact of traditional gender norms that connect femininity to house work and masculinity to employed work.Fragestellung: Die Studie untersucht den Zusammenhang zwischen partnerschaftlicher Unterstützung und unterschiedlichen Arten von work-to-family und family-to-work Konflikten in Zweiverdienerpaaren getrennt nach Gender und Elternschaft. Hintergrund: In vielen westlichen Ländern, darunter Deutschland, scheinen Vereinbarkeitsprobleme zwischen Arbeit und Familie insbesondere bei Zweiverdienerpaaren zuzunehmen. Bisher beschäftigten sich nur wenige Studien mit dem Zusammenhang von partnerschaftlichen Unterstützungsstrukturen und unterschiedlichen Formen der Konflikte zwischen Arbeits- und Familienleben. Methode: Wir verwenden Längsschnittdaten der Wellen 6 bis 10 des Deutschen Familienpanels (pairfam) um die Auswirkungen von wahrgenommener partnerschaftlicher Unterstützung auf zeit- und belastungsbasierte work-to-family und family-to-work Konflikte zu untersuchen. Dazu werden Strukturgleichungsmodelle auf Basis der Informationen von 1,252 Personen, die vollzeiterwerbstätig sind und eine(n) erwerbstätige(n) Partner*in haben, berechnet. Ergebnisse: Partnerschaftliche Unterstützung reduziert belastungsbasierte work-to-family Konflikte für Männer, während Frauen mit den gleichen Konflikten nicht von der Unterstützung profitieren. Für die Gruppe der Eltern scheinen work-to-family Konflikte unabhängig von partnerschaftlicher Unterstützung zu sein. Insgesamt indizieren die Ergebnisse, dass family-to-work Konflikte durch eine(n) unterstützende(n) Partner*in reduziert werden, während belastungs- aber nicht zeitbasierte work-to-family Konflikte reduziert werden - und auch das nur für Männer. Schlussfolgerung: Zusammenfassend weisen die Ergebnisse der geschlechtsspezifischen Wirkung partnerschaftlicher Unterstützung auf unterschiedliche Rollenkonflikte auf einen noch immer existierenden Einfluss von Geschlechternormen hin, die Weiblichkeit mit Haus- und Carearbeit und Männlichkeit mit Erwerbsarbeit verbinden

Occupational aspirations of adolescents as a result of gender-specific differential parental treatment within families

Pruisken H, Golsch K, Diewald M. Berufliche Aspirationen von Jugendlichen als Ergebnis geschlechtsspezifischer elterlicher Ungleichbehandlung. Zeitschrift für Familienforschung. 2016;28(1):65-86.With the focus on gender inequalities within families, we examine the influence of supportive parenting on the socio-economic status of the desired occupation of adolescents. On the basis of theories and findings of gender-specific socialization research, we examine whether the effect of supportive parenting differs between the four gender-specific parent-child dyads and what consequences a differential parental treatment of siblings has. We examine these topics with the youth dataset of the German Socio-Economic Panel (2001-2013). Using multivariate regression models, we find that in particular the support of the father is relevant for the development of the occupational aspirations. A stronger support from the father, as compared to the mother, has a positive influence especially for young men, whereas women have higher occupational aspirations when both parents provide equal support. With sibling-fixed-effects models, we show that the effect of differential parental treatment of siblings is particular relevant for same-sex siblings

Shall I Help You My Dear? : Examining Variations in Social Support for Career Advancement within Partnerships

Golsch K. Shall I Help You My Dear? : Examining Variations in Social Support for Career Advancement within Partnerships. SFB 882 Working Paper Series. Vol 13. Bielefeld: DFG Research Center (SFB) 882 From Heterogeneities to Inequalities; 2013.Strong gender inequalities persist in the career advancement of men and women. Vertical and horizontal dimensions of segregation, gender role beliefs, and the public provision of welfare services all provide explanations for gender inequalities. Much less is known about the social mechanisms at work within couples, however. Following the notion of linked lives, the pre-sent study investigates the provision of social support for career advancement within partner-ships. Using data from wave 23 (2006) of the German Socio-Economic Panel Study (SOEP) and considering couples as units of analysis, this study focuses on individual resources and aspirations, intra-couple bargaining as well as on educational and occupational homogamy between spouses. The empirical analysis controls for individual qualifications, characteristics of career development and current job of both partners. Family-specific variables and regional differences are also taken into account. The results of the analysis, although cross-sectional, give some initial insights into patterns of social support within couples

The impact of labour market insecurity on the work and family life of men and women. A comparison of Germany, Great Britain and Spain

Golsch K. The impact of labour market insecurity on the work and family life of men and women. A comparison of Germany, Great Britain and Spain. Europäische Hochschulschriften - Reihe XXII. Vol 403. Frankfurt a.M: Lang; 2005

Employment flexibility in Spain and its impact on transitions to adulthood

Golsch K. Employment flexibility in Spain and its impact on transitions to adulthood. Work, Employment & Society. 2003;17(4):691-718