A Crossover Study From a Gender Perspective: The Relationship Between Job Insecurity, Job Satisfaction, and Partners’ Family Life Satisfaction

Abstract

Background: In the last years, many changes have involved the labor context: new ways of working, more flexibility and uncertainty, new and more insecure job contracts. In this framework, perceived job insecurity, worker’s perception about potential involuntary job loss, has received renewed interest, also for those workers with a permanent contract in Italy. Consequences of job insecurity on work-related outcomes such as job satisfaction have been demonstrated; nevertheless, its possible effects outside the workplace seem to be underestimated so far. Moreover, literature highlighted the importance to consider gender as a possible moderator in the relationship between one partner’s stressors and the other partner’s strain.Aim: According to spillover and crossover theories, this study aim was to investigate the relationship between job insecurity and family life satisfaction of both partners, through the mediation of job satisfaction. The model has been simultaneously tested in two groups, women and men, in a sample of permanent workers.Method: The research involved a convenience sample of 344 employees with permanent contract (53% female) from different occupational sectors. Participants (focal persons) and their partners filled out a self-report questionnaire.Results: The multi-group SEM indicated a full mediation of job satisfaction in the relationship between job insecurity on the one side, and both individual’s and his/her partner’s family life satisfaction on the other side in both groups.Conclusion: These study findings highlighted how job insecurity may be indirectly and negatively related to both members’ family life satisfaction, through the mediation of job satisfaction. As regards gender, similar spillover and crossover patterns emerged, contributing to that literature that highlights a greater similarity in the models of interaction between work and family among women and men. Interventions should be aimed at reducing perception of job insecurity among workers, including those with permanent contract. Employers should improve communication and flow of information about future organizational changes. Moreover, interventions useful to monitor and reinforce employees’ job satisfaction should be planned. Finally, career practitioners may provide counseling and coaching projects aimed at strengthening employees’ employability and their ability to deal with changes.

Seeking Challenges, Individual Adaptability and Career Growth in the Relationship between Workload and Contextual Performance: A Two-Wave Study

“…This perspective emphasizes the sustainable development of every person, by facilitating the flourishing of own skills and an improvement of own quality of life, which, thus, becomes not only a personal growth but also a benefit of the community of belonging and progress. In summary, also in the perspective of the psychology of sustainability and sustainable development [4][5][6] more research is needed to unveil the complexity of the relationships between these variables, and other dimensions, such as life satisfaction and job insecurity need to be explored [2,61].…”

Implikasi Job Insecurity Terhadap Kepuasan Kerja Dan Intention to Leaven to Leave

“…Job insecurity merupakan kondisi psikologis sese-orang (pegawai) yang ditunjukkan dengan adanya perasaan bingung dan tidak aman karena kondisi lingkungan organisasi yang berubah-ubah (perceived impermanence). Persepsi tentang job insecurity yang muncul selalu diikuti oleh berbagai dampak negatif psikologis seperti depresi dan kecemasan serta sejumlah sikap di tempat kerja, seperti kepuasan kerja, motivasi, dan komitmen pegawai (Emanuel et al, 2018). Menurunnya kepuasan kerja juga merupakan sebuah sikap yang ditunjukkan pegawai karena terdapat sejumlah aspek pada pekerjaan yang dirasakan tidak terpenuhi, seperti gaji, peluang promosi, kondisi kerja, hubungan dengan atasan, dan hubungan dengan sejawat, serta lingkungan pekerjaan (Riana, et al, 2018).…”

Domain Satisfaction and Overall Life Satisfaction: Testing the Spillover-Crossover Model in Chilean Dual-Earner Couples

“…The Interdependence Theory [ 22 ] recognizes the importance of mutual influences (i.e., interdependence), while the Family Systems Theory [ 23 ] underscores the interdependence between individuals, so that individuals involved in reciprocal relationships, such as family members, can influence one another in their thoughts, emotions and behaviors. Consistent with these theories, research has shown that life satisfaction [ 14 , 24 ], job satisfaction [ 25 ], satisfaction with family life [ 14 , 26 ] and satisfaction with food-related life [ 14 , 27 ] are correlated between members of a couple. Therefore, both theories make it possible to hypothesize that an individual’s life satisfaction is not only influenced by their own satisfaction in different life domains but also by their partner’s satisfaction in different life domains in married or cohabiting couples, which, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, has not been previously assessed.…”

“…In addition to the differences in women’s socialization [ 36 ], Westman [ 70 ] suggested that gender differences may be related to the distinct ways men and women react to what happens to their partner, their degree of involvement in family affairs and in traditional gender-based demands and expectations. Namely, women tend to be more involved in family activities and seem to be more responsive to situations affecting their male partners than men [ 26 ].…”