Role Conflict - Work-Family Conflict

Work-Family Conflict

The most commonly noted role conflict is that between work and family. Researchers have noticed a lower fertility rate in developed countries as opposed to previous years. Some studies suggest that this drop may be due to the fact that more woman are pursuing careers and obtaining an education. The research is trying to prove that woman who have more trouble balancing their work-life and family duties go on to have fewer additional children. While some people believe that work-family role conflict only occurs for woman, a 2008 study by the Families and Work Institute showed that 49% of employed males with families experienced work-family conflict. The study also showed that work flexibility is the number one concern for employed females with families and the number two or three issue for employed men with families. Flexibility in the workplace can be a huge relief to a person struggling to balance their career and home-life. Having that control is something that could change the relationship between work and family life to better be able to manage role conflict, and if more business participated in this action there could be a possible better outcome for all. Another study was done in France where the same common conflict of work and family life roles were interfering to an extreme. This study found that not even working from home was the solution, but to be able to come in late or leave early, on a flexible schedule is what was working best to be able to handle the role conflict. Having this sort of flex schedule enables people to be able to work with their role conflicts and try to better be able to manage and cope with them. Again this study supports that if businesses do create this sort of flex schedule that this could be a definite possible solution. (Dell'Antonia 12)

To study the Work-family conflict in more depth, see Work-Family conflict Role Conflict Requirements for different roles might compete for a person's limited time or it could occur due to various strains associated with multiple roles. Some people can play one role and play it well while others can play multiple roles and also play them well. For example, we see a father as the provider and the protector while we see the women as the housewives, cooking and cleaning. If a man were to enter into the kitchen and proceed to cook, we might feel that he is acting inappropriately for his role and the same goes as if a woman was to do handy work in the household. This attitude is a root cause for the conflict many women feel when they become full-time workers and mothers. Women's rights have evolved greatly in the past forty years and women share most of the same rights as men. While women have stepped up to fill different roles, men have not stepped in to help balance out the work load. Modern day mothers are expected to be able have the career capacity of a man and the domestic grace modeled after the ideal mother/wife of the 1950s. Realistically women have a hard time balancing the two. Many women feel that they are forced to chose between career and family, then are made to feel guilty about their choice by society.