A meta-analytic review of work–family conflict and its antecedents

Abstract

This meta-analytic review combines the results of more than 60 studies to help determine the relative effects of work, nonwork, and demographic and individual factors on work interference with family (WIF) and family interference with work (FIW). As expected, work factors related more strongly to WIF, and some nonwork factors were more strongly related to FIW. Demographic factors, such as an employee’s sex and marital status, tended to relate weakly to WIF and FIW. Overall the analysis supports the notion that WIF and FIW have unique antecedents, and therefore, may require different interventions or solutions to prevent or reduce their occurrence. Lastly, the analysis suggests that demographic variables, such as sex and marital status, are alone poor predictors of work–family conflict. Researchers are advised to attend to more finely grained variables that may more fully capture employees’ likelihood of experiencing work–family conflict.

Introduction

The increase in dual-career couples and single-parent households and the concomitant decrease in traditional, single-earner families mean that responsibilities for work, housework, and childcare are no longer confined to traditional gender roles. Increasingly, employees find themselves struggling to juggle the competing demands of work and family. The problems and issues encountered by employees taking part in this balancing act has prompted a burgeoning body of research and theory on the intersections of individuals’ work and family lives (e.g., Kossek et al., 1999, Perrewe and Hochwarter, 2001). One of the most studied concepts in the work–family literature is work–family conflict. Work–family conflict, also called work–family interference, is a type of interrole conflict (Kahn, Wolfe, Quinn, Snoek, & Rosenthal, 1964) that occurs when the demands of work and family roles conflict.

Since the construct of work–family conflict was introduced, a large body of literature has examined its causes and consequences. Recent meta-analyses have examined the relation between work–family conflict and its consequences, such as job and life satisfaction, burnout, and absenteeism (Allen et al., 2000, Kossek and Ozeki, 1998, Kossek and Ozeki, 1999). These meta-analyses underscore the potentially negative effects of work–family conflict for individuals and their employing organizations. However, among the published meta-analyses on work–family conflict, only one has examined a potential antecedent, job/work involvement (Kossek & Ozeki, 1999). No meta-analysis to date has comprehensively considered the myriad causes of work–family conflict that have been examined in the literature.

In addition, the concept of work–family conflict has changed over time. Increasingly, researchers have acknowledged the direction of interference (O’Driscoll, Ilgen, & Hildreth, 1992). That is, work–family conflict is increasingly recognized as consisting of two distinct, though related, concepts, work interference with family (WIF) and family interference with work (FIW). WIF (also termed work-to-family conflict) occurs when work interferes with family life, and FIW (known also as family-to-work conflict) occurs when family life interferes with work (Frone, Yardley, & Markel, 1997). Support for distinguishing these two concepts comes from several sources. First, in their meta-analysis, Kossek and Ozeki (1998) reported consistent support for distinguishing between the direction of work–family conflict. Second, recent theory and research on WIF and FIW suggests that these two concepts may have different causes and effects (e.g., Frone et al., 1992a, Frone et al., 1992b, Kelloway et al., 1999).

In summary, while the potentially harmful effects of work–family conflict are recognized, we know less about the causes of work–family conflict and their relative effects on WIF and FIW. Consequently, a systematic review of the literature on work–family conflict antecedents is needed to explain the experience of work–family conflict in employees’ lives. The present study offers such an analysis by providing a quantitative review of potential antecedents and their relation to two types of work–family conflict, work interference with family (WIF) and family interference with work (FIW).