Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI)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.2020-08-2
