Work-family conflict and partners' agreement on fertility preferences among dual-earner couples: Does women's employment status matter?
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.20377/jfr-689Keywords:
work-to-family conflict, family-to-work conflict, dual-earners, dyadic data analysisAbstract
Objective: This study tests the effects of work-family conflict, in both directions, on partners' agreement on fertility preferences among dual-earner couples, as well as whether this relationship varies by women's employment status.
Background: Few studies have examined the relationship between work-family conflict and fertility preferences. Given the high percentages of women working part-time in Germany, it is important to investigate the role working women’s employment status plays to further understand this relationship.
Method: Using data from 716 dual-earner couples in Wave 10 of the German Family Panel (pairfam), we use dyadic data analysis to test whether work-family conflict impacts one’s own ("actor effects") and/or one’s partner’s ("partner effects") reports of agreement on fertility preferences. We also run multi-group analyses to compare whether these effects vary in "full-time dual-earner" versus "modernized male breadwinner" couples.
Results: There are significant actor effects for family-to-work conflict in both types of couples, and for work-to-family conflict in modernized male breadwinner couples only. Partner effects for family-to-work conflict exist only among modernized male breadwinner couples. While there are no gender differences in actor or partner effects, results suggest differences in the partner effect (for family-to-work conflict only) between these two couple types.
Conclusion: These findings indicate that work-family conflict is associated with greater partner disagreement on fertility preferences and highlight the differential impact incompatible work and family responsibilities have on fertility decisions when women work full-time versus part-time.
References
Adams, A., & Golsch, K. (2020). Gender-specific patterns and determinants of spillover between work and family: The role of partner support in dual-earner couples. Journal of Family Research.
Allen, T., Herst, D., Bruck, C., & Sutton, M. (2000). Consequences associated with work-to-family conflict: A review and agenda for future research. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 5, 2: 278-308. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/1076-8998.5.2.278
Allen, T., & Finkelstein, L. (2014). Work-family conflict among members of full-time dual-earner couples: An examination of family life stage, gender, and age. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 19, 3: 376-384. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/a0036941
Allen, T., & Eby, L. (2016). Advancing work-family research and practice. In T. Allen & L. Eby (Eds.), The Oxford handbook of work and family. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press: 477-486. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199337538.013.36
Amstad, F., Meier, L., Fasel, U., Elfering, A., & Semmer, N. (2011). A meta-analysis of work-family conflict and various outcomes with a special emphasis on cross-domain versus matching-domain relations. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 16, 2: 151-169. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/a0022170
Aumann, K., Galinsky, E., & Matos, K. (2011). The new male mystique. New York: Families and Work Institute.
Bakker, A., & Demerouti, E. (2009). The crossover of work engagement between working couples: A closer look at the role of empathy. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 24, 3: 220-236. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/02683940910939313
Bakker, A., Demerouti, E., & Dollard, M. (2008). How job demands affect partners’ experience of exhaustion: Integrating work-family conflict and crossover theory. Journal of Applied Psychology, 93, 4: 901-911. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.93.4.901
Bankole, A., & Singh, S. (1998). Couples’ fertility and contraceptive decision-making in developing countries: Hearing the man’s voice. International Family Planning Perspectives, 24, 1: 15-24. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/2991915
Begall, K., & Mills, M. (2011). The impact of subjective work control, job strain, and work-family conflict on fertility intentions: A European comparison. European Journal of Population, 27, 4:433-456. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10680-011-9244-z
Bellavia, G., & Frone, M. (2005). Work-family conflict. In J. Barling, E. Kelloway, & M. Frone (Eds.) Handbook of work stress. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage: 113-148. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4135/9781412975995.n6
Bianchi, S., Robinson, J., & Milkie, M. (2006). Changing rhythms of American family life. New York: Russell Sage.
Bianchi, S., & Milkie, M. (2010). Work and family research in the first decade of the 21st century. Journal of Marriage and Family, 72, 3:705-725. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-3737.2010.00726.x
Blossfeld, H., & Drobnič, S. (Eds.) (2001). Careers of couples in contemporary societies: From male-breadwinner to dual-earner families. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Brüderl, J., Hank, K., Huinink, J., Nauck, B., Neyer, F. J., & Walper, S. (2019). The German family panel (pairfam). Cologne, Germany: GESIS Data Archive. ZA5678 Data File Version 10.0.0.
Buber-Ennser, I. (2015). Childrearing in Austria: Work and family roles. Journal of Research in Gender Studies, 5, 2: 121-146.
Burch, T. (2020). All in the family: The link between couple-level work-family conflict and family satisfaction and its impact on the composition of the family over time. Journal of Business and Psychology, 35, 3: 593-607. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10869-019-09641-y
Byrne, B. (2013). Structural equation modeling with AMOS: Basic concepts, applications, and programming. New York: Routledge. Cavalli, L. (2012). ‘He wants, I don’t’: Females’ contrasting attitude about fertility intentions for a second child. International Review of Sociology, 22, 1: 71-93. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/03906701.2012.657533
Duxbury, L., & Higgins, C. (1991). Gender differences in work-family conflict. Journal of Applied Psychology, 76, 1: 60-74. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.76.1.60
Edwards, J., & Rothbard, N. (2000). Mechanisms linking work and family: Clarifying the relationship between work and family constructs. The Academy of Management Review, 25, 1: 178-199. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.2000.2791609
Fleckenstein, T., & Seeleib-Kaiser, M. (2011). Business, skills and the welfare state: The political economy of employment-oriented family policy in Britain and Germany. Journal of European Social Policy, 21, 2: 136-149. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0958928710380483
Florean, D., & Engelhardt, H. (2020). His and her working hours and well-being in Germany: A longitudinal crossover-spillover analysis. Journal of Family Research, 32, 2: 249-273. DOI: https://doi.org/10.20377/jfr-372
Frone, M., Russell, M., & Cooper, M. (1992). Antecedents and outcomes of work-family conflict: Testing a model of the work-family interface. Journal of Applied Psychology, 77, 1: 65-78. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.77.1.65
Frone, M., Russell, M., & Barnes, G. (1996). Work-family conflict, gender, and health-related outcomes: A study of employed parents in two community samples. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 1, 1: 57-69. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/1076-8998.1.1.57
Galinsky, E., Aumann, K., & Bond, J. (2011). Times are changing: Gender and generation at work and at home. New York: Families and Work Institute.
Gallie, D., & Russell, H. (2009). Work-family conflict and working conditions in Western Europe. Social Indicators Research, 93, 3: 445-467. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-008-9435-0
Geist, C., & Brauner-Otto, S. (2017). Constrained intentions: Economic resources, region context, and fertility expectations in Germany. Socius, 3, 1-17. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/2378023116685334
Gerson, K. (2010). The unfinished revolution: How a new generation is reshaping family, work, and gender in America. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Grace, K.T., & Anderson, J.C. (2018). Reproductive coercion: A systematic review. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 19, 4: 371-390. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1524838016663935
Greenhaus, J., & Beutell, N. (1985). Sources of conflict between work and family roles. The Academy of Management Review, 10, 1: 76-88. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.1985.4277352
Geenhaus, J., & Powell, G. (2006). When work and family are allies: A theory of work-family enrichment.” The Academy of Management Review, 31, 1: 72-92. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.2006.19379625
Gutek, B., Searle, S., & Klepa, L. (1991). Rational versus gender role explanations for work-family conflict. Journal of Applied Psychology, 76, 4: 560-568. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.76.4.560
Hajek, K. (2019). Sex and housework: Does perceived fairness of the distribution of housework actually matter? Journal of Family Research, 31, 1: 83-104. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3224/zff.v31i1.05
Hank, K., & Wetzel, M. (2018). Same-sex relationship experiences and expectations regarding partnership and parenthood. Demographic Research, 39, 25: 701-718. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4054/DemRes.2018.39.25
Hohmann-Marriott, B. (2009). The couple context of pregnancy and its effects on prenatal care and birth outcomes. Maternal and Child Health Journal, 13, 6: 745-754. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-009-0467-0
Huinink, J., Brüderl, J., Nauck, B., Walper, S., Castiglioni, L., & Feldhaus, M. (2011). Panel analysis of intimate relationships and family dynamics (pairfam): Conceptual framework and design. Journal of Family Research, 23, 1: 77-101. DOI: https://doi.org/10.20377/jfr-235
Judge, T., Ilies, R., & Scott, B. (2006). Work–family conflict and emotions: Effects at work and at home. Personnel Psychology, 59, 4: 779-814. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-6570.2006.00054.x
Keller, M., & Haustein, T. (2012). Reconciliation of family and work. Results from the microcensus 2010. Wiesbaden: Federal Statistical Office.
Kenny, D. A., & William, C. (1999). Partner effects in relationship research: Conceptual issues, analytic difficulties, and illustrations. Personal Relationships, 6, 4: 433-448. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-6811.1999.tb00202.x
Kenny, D., & Acitelli, L. (2001). Accuracy and bias in the perception of the partner in a close relationship. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 80, 3: 439-448. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.80.3.439
Kessler, R., & McLeod, J. (1984). Sex differences in vulnerability to undesirable life events. American Sociological Review, 49, 5: 620-631. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/2095420
Klammer, U., & Letablier, M. (2007). Family policies in Germany and France: The role of enterprises and social partners. Social Policy & Administration, 41, 6: 672-692. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9515.2007.00578.x
Konig, S., & Cesinger, B. (2015). Gendered work-family conflict in Germany: Do self-employment and flexibility matter? Work, Employment and Society, 29, 4: 531-549. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0950017014545264
Liu, S., & Hynes, K. (2012). Are difficulties balancing work and family associated with subsequent fertility? Family Relations, 61, 1: 16-30. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-3729.2011.00677.x
Mauerer, G., & Schmidt, E. (2019). Parents’ strategies in dealing with constructions of gendered responsibilities at their workplaces. Social Sciences, 8, 9: 250-267. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci8090250
Michel, J., Deuling, J., Kotrba, J., Lebreton, J., & Baltes, B. (2009). A comparative test of work-family conflict models and critical examination of work-family linkages. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 74, 2: 199-218. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2008.12.005
Nohe, C., Meier, L., Sonntag, K., & Michel, A. (2015). The chicken or the egg? A meta-analysis of panel studies of the relationship between work-family conflict and strain. Journal of Applied Psychology, 100, 2: 522-536. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/a0038012
Nomaguchi, K., & Johnson, D. (2009). Change in work-family conflict among employed parents between 1977 and 1997. Journal of Marriage and Family, 71, 1: 15-32. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-3737.2008.00577.x
Pearlin, L. (1999). The stress process revisited: Reflections on concepts and their interrelationships. In C. Aneshensel & J. Phelan (Eds.) The handbook of the sociology of mental health. New York: Kluwer: 395-415. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/0-387-36223-1_19
Rosenfield, S., & Smith, D. (2010). Gender and mental health. In T. Scheid & T. Brown (Eds.) Handbook for the study of mental health: Social contexts, theories, and systems. 2nd ed. New York: Cambridge University Press: 256-267. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511984945.017
Shockley, K., Shen, W., DeNunzio, M., Arvan, M., & Knudsen, E. (2017). Disentangling the relationship between gender and work-family conflict: An integration of theoretical perspectives using meta-analytic methods. Journal of Applied Psychology, 102, 12: 1601-1635. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0000246
Shreffler, K.M., Pirretti, A.E., & Drago, R. (2010). Work-family conflict and fertility intentions: Does gender matter? Journal of Family and Economic Issues, 31, 2: 228-240. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10834-010-9187-2
Shreffler, K.M., & Johnson, D.R. (2013). Fertility intentions, career considerations and subsequent births: The moderating effects of women’s work hours. Journal of Family and Economic Issues, 34, 3: 285-295. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10834-012-9331-2
Shreffler, K.M., Tiemeyer, S., McQuillan, J., Greil, A. L., & Spierling, T. (2019). Partner congruence on fertility intentions and values: Implications for birth outcomes. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 36, 8: 2307-2322. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0265407518787232
Simon, R. (1998). Assessing sex differences in vulnerability among employed parents: The importance of marital status. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 39, 1: 38-54. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/2676388
Stein, P., Willen, S., & Pavetic, M. (2014). Couples’ fertility decision-making. Demographic Research, 30, 63: 1697-1731. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4054/DemRes.2014.30.63
Stykes, J. (2015). Couples’ fertility intentions: Measurement, correlates, and implications for parent and child well-being. Dissertation. Bowling Green State University. Bowling Green.
Symoens, S., & Bracke, P. (2015). Work-family conflict and mental health in newlywed and recently cohabiting couples. Health Sociology Review, 24, 1: 48-63. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/14461242.2015.1007156
Tambling, R.B., Johnson, S.K., & Johnson, L.N. (2011). Analyzing dyadic data from small samples: A pooled regression actor–partner interdependence model approach. Counseling Outcome Research and Evaluation, 2, 2: 101-114. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/2150137811422901
Taylor, A.B., West, S.G., & Aiken, L.S. (2006). Loss of power in logistic, ordinal logistic, and probit regression when an outcome variable is coarsely categorized. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 66, 2: 228-239. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0013164405278580
Testa, M.R. (2012). Couple disagreement about short-term fertility desires in Austria: Effects on intentions and contraceptive behavior. Demographic Research, 26, 3: 63-98. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4054/DemRes.2012.26.3
Testa, M.R., Cavalli, L., & Rosina, A. (2014). The effect of couple disagreement about child-timing intentions: A parity-specific approach. Population and Development Review, 40, 1: 31-53. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1728-4457.2014.00649.x
Testa, M.R., & Bolano, D. (2021). When partners’ disagreement prevents childbearing: A couple-level analysis in Australia. Demographic Research, 44, 33: 811-838. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4054/DemRes.2021.44.33
Thomson, E., McDonald, E., & Bumpass, L.L. (1990). Fertility desires and fertility: His, hers, and theirs. Demography, 27, 4: 579-588. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/2061571
Westman, M. (2001). Stress and strain crossover. Human Relations, 54, 6: 717-751. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0018726701546002
Westman, M. (2006). Models of work-family interactions: Stress and strain crossover. In R. Suri (Ed.), International encyclopedia of organizational behavior. New Delhi: Pentagon Press: 498-522.
Winslow, S. (2005). Work-family conflict, gender, and parenthood, 1977–1997. Journal of Family Issues, 26, 6: 727-755. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0192513X05277522
Young, M., Schieman, S., & Milkie, M. (2014). Spouse’s work-to-family conflict, family stressors, and mental health among dual-earner mothers and fathers. Society and Mental Health, 4, 1: 1-20. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/2156869313504931
Yucel, D., & Gassanov, M.A. (2010). Exploring actor and partner correlates of sexual satisfaction among married couples. Social Science Research, 39, 5: 725-738. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssresearch.2009.09.002
Yucel, D., & Latshaw, B.A. (2020). Spillover and crossover effects of work-family conflict among married and cohabiting couples. Society and Mental Health, 10, 1: 35-60. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/2156869318813006
Zumbo, B.D., & Zimmerman, D.W. (1993). Is the selection of statistical methods governed by level of measurement? Canadian Psychology, 34, 4: 390-400. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/h0078865
