Understanding the worklife conflict of nevermarried women without children

• Published in: Women in management review (Bradford, West Yorkshire, England : 1992) Vol. 21; no. 5; pp. 393 - 415
• Main Authors: Hamilton, Elizabeth A., Gordon, Judith R., WhelanBerry, Karen S.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Emerald Group Publishing Limited 01-07-2006
• Subjects: Family life; Job satisfaction; Role conflict; Single people; Women
• ISSN: 0964-9425
• DOI: 10.1108/09649420610676208

Purpose The purpose of this research is to focus on understanding the worklife conflict of nevermarried women without children. Designmethodologyapproach This study uses survey data from two fullservice health care organizations and a financial services organization. Quantitative methodologies were used to address the study's research questions and hypotheses. Findings The findings show that nevermarried women without children do experience conflict, specifically worktolife conflict, and often at similar levels to that experienced by other groups of working women. The findings also suggest that worklife benefits typically provided by organizations are frequently regarded as less important and used less often by nevermarried women without children than by other working women. Research limitationsimplications Future research should increase the sample of nevermarried women without children, explore the sources of support these women use in juggling life roles, and incorporate comparative analysis across age and occupation groups as well as with nevermarried childless men. Practical implications The research finds that not all employees value or utilize the benefits frequently offered by organizations. Human resource departments cannot assume a one size fits all approach to benefit administration but must recognize the unique sources of worklife conflict for an array of employees and develop appropriate strategies to mitigate such conflict. Originalityvalue This study contributes to the worklife literature by focusing on a vastly understudied group of employees whose growing presence in the workforce necessitates further exploration. This research advocates expanding the definition of worklife as traditionally defined in the organizational behavior literature, allowing scholars to think more broadly about life roles other than spouse and parent that may have implications for conflict.