Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: How does the combined working time of dual-earner couples affect the work-family conflict of men and women in these relationships? Does this effect vary by family life stage? This study draws on data from the 1997 National Study of the Changing Workforce to answer these questions. I find that work-family conflict increases among men and women as the couple’s joint hours of paid labor rises. Furthermore, women, but not men, are affected by the ratio of their own employment hours to those of their husbands. Finally, parents report significantly higher levels of work-family conflict than do non-parents; I find some evidence that this effect varies by the age of the youngest child in the home. Future research using couples as the unit of analysis and longitudinally examining families over the life course is suggested.