Work and family roles in relation to women's well-being: a longitudinal study.
Previous research on women has focused on the influence of the overall work- or family-role experiences rather than on the specific characteristics of each role. Using multidimensional measures of work- and family-role experiences, this study first examined (Time 1) the additive cumulative contributions of role experiences in the prediction of women's well-being (happiness and symptoms of psychological distress). While work overload significantly predicted distress at Time 2, none of the family-role variables were related to well-being. Second, as the sample was made up of two groups of women who differed in occupational status (secretaries and professional women), it was possible that the effects of overload on distress might be conditioned by occupational status. The group X overload interaction term was found to be highly significant (p < .007); high occupational status moderated the negative effects of work overload. By contrast, secretaries were adversely affected by work overload. These results are discussed in relation to the existing literature, with reference to women's work and family roles in relation to well-being, and the effects of occupational status on health outcomes.
Noor
N M
NM
Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford.
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001294:Attitude to Health; D005260:Female; D005783:Gender Identity; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D007588:Job Satisfaction; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008393:Marriage; D008875:Middle Aged; D016487:Parenting / Q000523:psychology; D011602:Psychophysiologic Disorders / Q000523:psychology; D012494:Sampling Studies; D013001:Somatoform Disorders / Q000523:psychology; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000150:complications; D014931:Women, Working / Q000523:psychology*; D016526:Workload / Q000523:psychology*