Work-Family and Family-Work Conflict: Are There Gender Differences Among Researchers?

Abstract

Family and work are organizing spheres of adulthood and dedication to a sphere can compete with dedication to the other. We aimed to identify and discuss the perceptions of researchers, male and female, about their professional development and possible work-family and family-work conflicts. Two studies were conducted: a survey with scientists (n=400) from different areas of knowledge and career levels; and interviews with 12 researchers. The perception of female professional development was significantly higher than male, and the perception of work-family conflict had low scores for both. However, the researchers' discourses showed that they perceive gender differences, but developed strategies to reconcile such spheres of life, such as planning pregnancy, building support network or making waivers for the family.