Combination strategies and work–family interference among dual-earner couples in Finland, Germany, and the Netherlands
Combination strategies and work–family interference among dual-earner couples in Finland, Germany, and the Netherlands
In many contemporary families, both parents are involved in paid work and family responsibilities. This creates challenges for the successful reconciliation of work and family. In this study, we examined whether and how the division of paid work and unpaid work between partners is related to work–family interference. Analyses were based on survey data of 147 Finnish, 186 German, and 265 Dutch dual-earner couples with young children and show that there is no recipe for a division of paid work and unpaid work that guarantees a conflict-free reconciliation of work and family. Although some cultural variation was identified, in general, individual time spent on paid work and unpaid work appeared to be more decisive for parents’ level of work–family interference than couples’ combination strategies. Therefore, to help working parents it seems important to create opportunities to adjust their time spent on paid work and unpaid work.
work–family interference, division of tasks, dual-earner couples, cross-national comparison
233-249
Wierda-Boer, Hilde
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Gerris, Jan
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Vermulst, Ad
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Malinen, Kaisa
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Anderson, Karen
219ba2d8-cef1-42f9-8153-19b855784e7d
8 May 2009
Wierda-Boer, Hilde
4f7bc194-be52-4e75-9d9a-d4a716b0e9fd
Gerris, Jan
890cddcb-cf81-42d6-83ab-a585976b8080
Vermulst, Ad
09a8165b-78ea-4ee5-9781-8f19448ac8ad
Malinen, Kaisa
a70d7168-1d13-4ecb-ad5a-351ee40f03fe
Anderson, Karen
219ba2d8-cef1-42f9-8153-19b855784e7d
Wierda-Boer, Hilde, Gerris, Jan, Vermulst, Ad, Malinen, Kaisa and Anderson, Karen
(2009)
Combination strategies and work–family interference among dual-earner couples in Finland, Germany, and the Netherlands.
Community, Work & Family, 12 (2), .
(doi:10.1080/13668800902778991).
Abstract
In many contemporary families, both parents are involved in paid work and family responsibilities. This creates challenges for the successful reconciliation of work and family. In this study, we examined whether and how the division of paid work and unpaid work between partners is related to work–family interference. Analyses were based on survey data of 147 Finnish, 186 German, and 265 Dutch dual-earner couples with young children and show that there is no recipe for a division of paid work and unpaid work that guarantees a conflict-free reconciliation of work and family. Although some cultural variation was identified, in general, individual time spent on paid work and unpaid work appeared to be more decisive for parents’ level of work–family interference than couples’ combination strategies. Therefore, to help working parents it seems important to create opportunities to adjust their time spent on paid work and unpaid work.
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Published date: 8 May 2009
Keywords:
work–family interference, division of tasks, dual-earner couples, cross-national comparison
Organisations:
Social Sciences
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Local EPrints ID: 375253
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/375253
ISSN: 1469-3615
PURE UUID: 52b90207-0fa6-4b89-9a5c-e6b0cae4cef7
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Date deposited: 17 Mar 2015 17:27
Last modified: 14 Mar 2024 19:22
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Author:
Hilde Wierda-Boer
Author:
Jan Gerris
Author:
Ad Vermulst
Author:
Kaisa Malinen
Author:
Karen Anderson
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