Investigating the Factors Related to Work-Family Conflicts Experienced by Working Women: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Context: In recent decades, women’s participation in the labor market has increased dramatically. However, this has confronted working women with work-family conflicts. Objective: This systematic review aimed to find the factors related to work-family conflicts befallen women working. Methods: All scientific articles published on the subject from June 2000 until June 2021 were searched in five databases (Science Direct, Web of Science, PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Google Scholar) using the Keywords of factor, female, working, work-life balance, life-work imbalance. Results: We found 3967 articles in the databases mentioned. After removing duplicate items, the titles and abstracts of 2573 articles were screened, 34 full-texts of which were reviewed, leading to the final selection of 31 articles (13 qualitative studies and 17 quantitative studies). Then we searched for the documents that cited any of the initially included studies, as well as the references of the primarily included studies; however, no additional articles were found in this step. We categorized the factors related to work-life conflicts into four categories and 22 sub-categories. The first category was individual factors (e.g., individual capacities and skills); the second category was interpersonal factors (e.g., spousal support and lack of family support); the third category was organizational factors (e.g., organizational policies and working hours), and the fourth category was cultural factors (e.g., patriarchal hegemony in society and family-friendly culture). Conclusions: First, individual skills are needed to be paid more attention to, such as planning, which may be simply modifiable and has the potential to inform therapeutic interventions and preventative strategies. Second, foremen and directors should be informed about the importance of work-life conflicts experienced by women and their decisive role in creating a work-life balance to help improve their working conditions.

The factors influencing stress among nursing home staff: A cross-sectional study to develop stress measurement scale

“…Overall, this research suggests that having a supportive social network both at home and at work can help reduce work-family conflict and improve the overall well-being of employees. Hosseini, Yarelahi, Rahimi, and Salmani (2023) discuss the significance of support from a spouse in preventing work-life conflicts for women. This support can be in the form of emotional or instrumental assistance, such as showing concern and attentiveness towards the spouse's problems or helping with daily family tasks.…”

“…Another study highlighted that support from family members and friends, aside from a spouse, demonstrates their dedication to aiding one another by assisting with household tasks, caring for dependents, and completing other duties. When family members assist working women in fulfilling their domestic and childcare responsibilities, it can reduce the burden on the working mother, thus decreasing the workload pressure (Hosseini et al, 2023).…”

Predictors of work-life conflict in working women: A cross-sectional study

“…Work-life conflict can have adverse effects on the family and workplace and can endanger the well-being of societies in general [3,6] . For example, employees who have a conflict between work and life have less productivity and commitment and have more chances of absenteeism or leaving the organization [1,6] .…”

“…Work-life conflict can have adverse effects on the family and workplace and can endanger the well-being of societies in general [3,6] . For example, employees who have a conflict between work and life have less productivity and commitment and have more chances of absenteeism or leaving the organization [1,6] . Or the conflict between work and life may cause bad mood and misbehavior with spouse and children, the inadequate and inappropriate performance of parental and marital duties, and can ultimately decrease life satisfaction and quality [6][7][8][9] .…”

“…For example, employees who have a conflict between work and life have less productivity and commitment and have more chances of absenteeism or leaving the organization [1,6] . Or the conflict between work and life may cause bad mood and misbehavior with spouse and children, the inadequate and inappropriate performance of parental and marital duties, and can ultimately decrease life satisfaction and quality [6][7][8][9] . Approaching the complications of work-life conflict in the individual dimension shows that people who experience conflict between work and life suffer significantly from a decrease in mental well-being and physical health [1,4,10,11] .…”