Conflict of work hours and work family：A study based on sex difference

Abstract

Abstract: Work family conflict has attracted wide attention in both industrial and academic fields. Research on the effect of long working hours is, however, still inconclusive due to lack of empirical support, especially in China. The aim of this article is to add to the understanding of work family conflict by exploring the effect of sex differences and gender-role attitudes on the relationship between work hours and work family conflict. Data was collected from 2030 full-time Chinese employees located in five regions of China, and the results suggest that work hours have a significant effect on work-family conflict and sex has a positive moderating effect on this relationship. In addition, a three-way interaction effect among work hours, sex and gender-role attitude was found that helps to explain inconsistencies in current work family conflict research. Specifically, men with traditional gender-role attitudes experienced stronger work family conflict than did men with egalitarian gender-role attitudes. The implications of these findings are explored and discussed.

Key words: China, work family conflict, work hours, sex, gender-role attitude

CLC Number:

F272.92

Jin Jiafei, Liu Chongrui, Li Wenyong, Patricia Mary Fosh. Conflict of work hours and work family：A study based on sex difference[J]. Science Research Management, 2014, 35(8): 44-50.

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