Journal of Family and Economic Issues

, Volume 32, Issue 1, pp 46–61 | Cite as

Economic Hardship and Family-to-Work Conflict: The Importance of Gender and Work Conditions

ORIGINAL PAPER
First Online:

Abstract

Using data from a 2007 national survey of working Americans, we examine the association between economic hardship and family-to-work conflict (FWC). We also assess contingencies of this association, focusing particularly on gender and several work conditions. Findings indicate that economic hardship is associated with higher FWC; this pattern is stronger among men. Three work conditions also function as effect modifiers: The positive association between hardship and FWC is stronger for workers with less job authority and more creative work activities. Job pressures also modify this association, but overall, respondents with higher pressures report greater FWC. We discuss how our observations contribute to knowledge about the links between economic conditions and the family–work interface and the importance of status and work-related contingencies.

Keywords

Economic hardship Family-to-work conflict Stressors Job demands-resources model 
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Notes

Acknowledgments

A grant award from the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health at the Centers for Disease Control supports this study (R01 OH008141; Scott Schieman, P.I.).

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Copyright information

© Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2010

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1.Department of SociologyUniversity of TorontoTorontoCanada

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