122: Balancing Work and Family: Policy Implications
Melissa Rector LaGraff
- Research
- Families & Health
- Family Policy
- Feminism & Family Studies
- International
- Racial and Ethnic Diversity in Families
- Research & Theory
About the Session
Interactive Poster Sessions have a NEW LIVE INTERACTIVE approach this year to allow for more engagement between presenters and attendees. Posters listed below are included in this session. Each poster presenter will have 3 minutes to present an overview of their poster at the beginning of this session. Following all individual poster overviews, each poster presenter will move to a breakout room where attendees can have live discussions with the presenters (approximately 45 minutes). Attendees can move in and out of the breakout rooms to talk with presenters.
Posters will be available to view online beginning November 1.
Facilitator: Melissa Rector LaGraff
Abstract(s)
122-01 FF: Division of Labor Stress Among Dual-Earner Couples With Children During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Miranda Berrigan, Claire Kamp Dush, Wendy Manning
Summary
The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically impacted the everyday lives of parents. Before the pandemic, women were more likely to report unpaid labor stress than men, which has been linked to poorer well-being. Early evidence emerging during the pandemic shows that mothers are taking on the bulk of the increases in unpaid labor, which may exacerbate their stress. Using preliminary data (n= 563) of dual-earner parents from the National Couples' Health and Time Study, which launched in September 2020, we examine 1) gender differences in unpaid labor (housework, childcare, and household planning and management) stress and 2) how family, work, and individual factors are associated with unpaid labor stress. Preliminary analyses show that mothers report more stress than fathers about the division of unpaid labor, especially childcare. Mothers working from home with multiple children are at the greatest risk for stress and potentially decreased well-being.
Objectives
- Examine gender differences in unpaid labor (housework, childcare, and household planning and management) stress
- Assess how pandemic parenting (working from home and distant education) along with additional family, work, and individual factors are associated with unpaid labor stress
- Identify which parents may be most at risk for decreased well-being stemming from the division of unpaid labor stress during the COVID-19 pandemic
Subject Codes: work-family issues, pandemic, gender
Population Codes: employed, couples/coupled,
Method and Approach Codes: regression: linear (simple, multiple, hierarchical), ,
122-02 FH: Constructing Intervention: Focus Group Confirmation of Needs and Strengths of First Responder Families
Joanne Park, Kelly Schwartz, Alan McLuckie, Carly McMorris, Michelle Redekop, Daranne Harris
Summary
In providing essential services to our communities, first responders (FR) – police, fire, paramedic – are at increased risk for operational stress injuries (OSI), including posttraumatic stress injuries (PTSI) and posttraumatic stress disorders (PTSD). The injuries are not limited to individuals, however, as family members (i.e., spouses/partners, children) also experience the effects of OSI’s. Preliminary results from online focus groups with FR and FR family members (N = 28) indicated the stressors and support needs of FR families that can be used to inform the development of a family-based psychosocial intervention (BOS-Families). Preliminary results indicated strengths (e.g., family pride for FR community contributions, strong connections with other FR families) and support needs (e.g., work-life balance, communication) in FR families. Results are discussed in the context of how a psychoeducational program can address research gaps and the availability of early intervention and support services for FR’s and their families.
Objectives
- To give voice to the lived experiences of first responder family members.
- To identify themes of strength and support that accompany the operational stress of first responders and their families.
- To activate the revealed themes in informing the construction and design of a psychoeducational and support program for first responder families.
Subject Codes: work-family issues, stress, mental health
Population Codes: marriage and family therapists/clinicians, emotional (dis)ability, international (non-U.S.)
Method and Approach Codes: program development, evidence-based practices/programs, thematic analysis
122-03 FP: Do Unmarried Workers’ Work-Life Conflict and Work-Life Policy Awareness Affect Marriage and Parenting Attitudes? The Moderating Effect of Gender
Hayoung Choi, Jeongmin Park, Meejung Chin
Summary
This study aims to identify latent profiles of unmarried workers’ attitudes on marriage and parenting and examine whether work-life conflict and work-life policy awareness affect the profiles with a moderating effect of gender. Using survey data of 596 unmarried workers living in Seoul, Korea, three types of marriage and parenting attitudes (‘Ambiguous attitude,’ ‘Negative attitude,’ and ‘Positive attitude.’) were identified in the latent profile analysis. In the multinomial regression analysis, women with a low work-life conflict and a high work-life policy awareness were more likely to have the positive attitude toward marriage and parenting while men were more likely to have the negative attitude under the same conditions. The results indicate that men tend to perceive family formation as a supportive factor for their current work-life conflict while women tend to show a similar tendency if they are well aware of the policy support.
Objectives
- To identify the latent profiles of unmarried Korean workers' attitudes toward marriage and parenting.
- To examine the effect of work-life conflict and work-life policy awareness on the latent profiles of marriage and parenting attitude.
- To demonstrate whether the effect of work-life conflict and work-life policy awarenesson the latent profiles has the moderating effect of gender.
Subject Codes: work-family issues, family policy, family formation
Population Codes: emerging/young adulthood, single, employed
Method and Approach Codes: latent variable modeling, regression: logistic (binary, ordinal, or multinomial),
122-04 FP: Longitudinal Effects of Family-Friendly Policies in Korean Mothers’ Workplaces on Their Career Breaks and Multidimensional Coparenting Profiles
Jieun Choi, Jiwon Lee, Hyoun Kyoung Kim
Summary
Longitudinal effects of family-friendly policies (FFPs) in mothers’ workplaces were examined using latent profiles analysis. 640 dual-earner families with toddlers (ages 0-3) from the Panel Study on Korean Children were characterized by different profiles in terms of whether the mothers experienced career breaks (CBs), quantity and quality of coparenting at child’s age 6 and then whether sociodemographic factors, and implementation and utilization of FFPs in mothers' workplaces predicted the latent profiles were analyzed. Four subgroups were identified: “Career progression (CP)/Mother does mostly/Low quality (LQ) (20.94%)”, “CP/Equal division/High quality (HQ) (19.69%)”, “CB/Mother takes full charge/LQ (17.97%)” and “CB/Mother does mostly/HQ (41.41%)”. Longer maternal and shorter paternal working hours and implementation of parental leave predicted less CBs as well as higher coparenting quantity and quality, while mothers’ utilization of parental leave predicted more CBs and high coparenting quality.
Objectives
- To analyze the effectiveness of family-friendly policies on mothers’ career break, and coparenting quantity and quality
- To examine the effects of socio-demographic characteristics on mothers’ career break, and coparenting quantity and quality
- To distinguish latent subgroups among Korean families with preschool aged child and working mothers
Subject Codes: work-family issues, coparenting, family policy
Population Codes: Nationally representative, biological parent, employed
Method and Approach Codes: latent variable modeling, longitudinal research, quantitative methodology
122-05 IN: Who Are the Happy Working Mothers in South Korea?: Impacts Of Perceived Social Support
SongEun Park, Thoinu Karam, Grace Chung
Summary
This poster explored latent profiles based on work-family strains and gains of working mothers with early adolescent children in Korea. The participants were 708 working mothers from dual-income families in Korea from Panel Study of Korean Children (PSKC) Wave 11. The latent profile analysis yielded the following four profiles: Beneficially balanced (16.1%), balanced (24.8%), well balanced (45.0%), and highly strained (14.2%). The results highlighted the need for emotional support and companionship support for working mothers with early adolescents to be “beneficially balanced”, as this group of mothers showed significantly higher levels of subjective happiness and lower levels of marital conflict as compared to women in the “highly strained” profile.
Objectives
- To examine different profiles of work-family strains and gains among working mothers with early adolescent children in South Korea
- To investigate differences in psychological adjustment of working mothers by latent profiles
- To find predictors that explain the differences on latent profiles of work-family strains and gains of working mothers with early adolescent children in South Korea
Subject Codes: work-family issues
Population Codes: Asian/Pacific Islander, employed, adolescent parent(s)
Method and Approach Codes: latent variable modeling
122-06 IN: Working Mothers' Job Demands, Work-Family Conflict, Job Satisfaction in East Asia: Comparison of China, Taiwan, and Japan With National Sample
Rui Tian, Kamala Ramadoss
Summary
This research aimed to explore working mothers' job demands, work-to-family conflict, and job satisfaction in an East Asian cultural context. This study drew data from the 2015 International Social Survey Program (ISSP) and focused on 617 working mothers' work-to-family conflict and job satisfaction among three east Asian regions, China, Taiwan, and Japan. The preliminary result suggests that working mothers’ job demands, including work stress, work hour, and difficulty taking time off, were positively related to their work-to-family conflict. Besides, working mothers’ work stress, difficulty taking time off, and work-to-family conflict is negatively related to job satisfaction. This study suggested that East Asian employees should implement a flexible work environment for working mothers to enhance job satisfaction further and alleviate work interfering with family.
Objectives
- To test whether East Asia working mothers’ job demands are related to the work-to-family conflict.
- To analyze the relationship between East Asia working mothers’ job demands, work-to-family conflict, and job satisfaction.
- To estimate the impact of job demands and work-to-family conflict on East Asia working mothers' job satisfaction.
Subject Codes: work-family issues, motherhood, employment
Population Codes: international (non-U.S.), employed,
Method and Approach Codes: regression: linear (simple, multiple, hierarchical), secondary data analysis,
122-08 RT: The Pandemic and Satisfaction With Work-Life Balance: Differences by Gender and Parental Status
Lauren McClain, Natasha Gerstenschlager, Lada Gasparac
Summary
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the norms of everyday life, mandating reactive measures be taken to detain the spread. Consequently, controlling for the physical spread gave rise to dismantling of pre-organized personal and professional life. Specifically, there was a steady decline in regular social contact and an elevation of in-house activity, especially for parents. For academics, jugging household and childcare tasks while trying to maintain a productive and fulfilling professional life became more challenging, jeopardizing boundaries of satisfaction. In this project, a survey administered to faculty in the United States will provide data to assess satisfaction with work-life balance from the start of the pandemic to now. Considerations are given to household distribution of labor and childcare, modifications in workload, gender, race/ethnicity, age of children, child schooling arrangements, and perceived productivity. This work is necessary to understand the lived experiences of faculty life in the US during this pandemic.
Objectives
- To evaluate the difference in satisfaction of work-life balance for academic mothers as compared to academic women without children and academic men.
- To measure work-life satisfaction for academic parents as compared to men and women academics without children.
- To analyze the role university supportiveness plays in the gendered effect in satisfaction with work-life balance.
Subject Codes: COVID-19, work-family issues, well-being
Population Codes: educators, all gender inclusive, diverse but not representative
Method and Approach Codes: research, general, regression: linear (simple, multiple, hierarchical), mixed-methodology
122-09 REDF: I’d Like Something Better For Them’: Views on Sibling and Children’s Work Footsteps Among Latino Migrant Farmworker Adolescents
Fiorella Carlos Chavez, Joslyn Armstrong, Isaias Sanchez
Summary
The great majority of unaccompanied Latino migrant adolescents can be found in U.S. agriculture (Arcury et al., 2014). Although Latino migrant farmworker adolescents (LMFAs) may mimic their fathers by undertaking household financial responsibilities (Ward, 2010), it remains unclear whether these adolescents wish their family members to follow their footsteps as migrant workers in the United States. Based on in-depth voice recorded interview with H-2A Mexican migrant adolescents and undocumented Guatemalan minors, we explored LMFAs’ views toward their siblings and future children following their footsteps as migrant farmworkers using applied thematic analysis (ATA; Guest et al., 2012). We also investigated what type of work they would have liked to pursue outside of U.S. agriculture. Differences based on age and documentation status were examined in all analysis. This study is strengths-based wherein LMFAs actively work toward ensuring their children and siblings enjoy a brighter future ingrained in education and better job opportunities.
Objectives
- To explore Latino migrant farmworker adolescents' views toward their siblings and future children following their footsteps as migrant farmworkers in the United States.
- To explore what it means to be a breadwinner as well as whether Latino migrant farmworker adolescents think their siblings and future children should be farmworkers like themselves.
- To investigate what type of work Latino migrant farmworker adolescents would have liked to pursue outside of U.S. agriculture.
Subject Codes: caregiving, migration, fatherhood
Population Codes: adolescence, Hispanic/Latina/o/x, migrant
Method and Approach Codes: thematic analysis, phenomenology, content analysis