Men's and Women's Eldercare-Based Work-Family Conflict: Antecedents and Work-Related Outcomes

Abstract

Role theory was used to develop a model examining the antecedents and work-related outcomes of eldercare-based workfamily conflict. This model was then tested with a path analysis framework. Proposed antecedents to Family Interference with Work (FIW) include time spent providing eldercare, marital status, and gender. Proposed antecedents to Work Interference with Family (WIF) include gender, hours worked, flexible work arrangements, family-related supervisor support, and supportive workplace culture. The work-related outcomes explored were partial absence and intention to seek new employment. For this combined model, nine hypotheses were advanced, and four were supported. Next, the model was tested separately for men and women to begin to address the understudied question of how men’s responsibilities as sons relate to their work-family conflict. For example, separate model findings suggest that supervisor support is unrelated to WIF, for men, and that work-family conflict is related to partial absence for men but to intention to seek new employment for women.