Profiles of attribution of importance to life roles and their implications for the work-family conflict

Cluster analysis identified 3 groups of individuals who differed systematically on attributions of relative importance to work and to family roles. Participants were 213 married computer workers and lawyers, 126 men and 87 women. Questionnaires gathered data on attributions of importance to life roles, work-family conflict, spousal and managerial support, and flexibility of working hours. In addition to variation between members of the 3 profiles for level of work-family conflict, differences were also found for age, hours working at job and home, and spousal support. Findings also indicated meaningful differences between the profiles for 2 types of conflict: work 3 family and family 3 work. Results suggest that simultaneous analysis of relative importance attributed to life roles enables more precise understanding of work-family conflict.
Changes in the demographics of the workforce in the Western world, such as greater participation of women in paid work and increasing numbers of dual career families, have spawned a great deal of research on how people reconcile the demands of their work and family roles. Special attention has been directed to understanding conflicts that arise as a result of perceived work and family role demands (Grzywacz & Marks, 2000; Kelloway, Gottlieb,
& Barham, 1999). Theoretical Foundations Greenhaus and Beutell (1985) established the theoretical framework for most research on work-family conflict, which they defined
as a form of friction in which role pressures from the work and family domains are mutually incompatible in some respects. Work-family conflict has been associated with a number of dysfunctional outcomes, including burnout, decreased family and occupational well-being, and job and life dissatisfaction