Type of employment, work–family conflict and well‐being: a comparative study

TLDR

The study investigates how employment type and family role characteristics affect work–family conflict and psychological well‑being in self‑employed versus organizationally employed men and women, and outlines directions for future research. Results reveal that self‑employment provides greater autonomy, schedule flexibility, job involvement, and satisfaction, yet increases work–family conflict and reduces family satisfaction, indicating trade‑offs that make business ownership not a cure‑all for balancing work and family responsibilities. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Abstract

Abstract The study examined the impact of work and family role characteristics on work–family conflict, and indicators of psychological well being among self‐employed and organizationally employed women and men. Results show that employment type and gender have independent main effects on several of the study variables. Self‐employed persons enjoy greater autonomy and schedule flexibility at work, and report higher levels of job involvement and job satisfaction than those employed in organizations. However, they also experience higher levels of work–family conflict, and lower family satisfaction than organizational employees. The findings suggest that there are trade‐offs between the costs and benefits of self‐employment, and that business ownership is not a panacea for balancing work and family role responsibilties. Directions for future research are discussed. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.