Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-2brh9 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-25T03:50:06.316Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The Exchange Relationship between Work-Family Enrichment and Affective Commitment: the Moderating Role of Gender

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 June 2015

António Manuel Marques ,
Maria José Chambel  and
Inês Pinto
António Manuel Marques*
Affiliation:
Instituto Politécnico de Setúbal (Portugal)
Maria José Chambel
Affiliation:
Universidade de Lisboa (Portugal)
Inês Pinto
Affiliation:
Universidade de Lisboa (Portugal)
*
*Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to António Manuel Marques. Professor-Coordenador. Departamento de Ciências Sociais e Humanas. Escola Superior de Saúde do Instituto Politécnico de Setúbal. Campus do IPS - Estefanilha. 2914–503. Setúbal (Portugal). E-mail: antonio.marques@ess.ips.pt
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Workers’ perception that their job experience enriches their family life has been considered a mechanism that explains their positive attitudes toward the organization where they work. However, because women and men live their work and family differently, gender may condition this relationship between the work-family enrichment and workers’ attitudes. With a sample of 1885 workers from one Portuguese bank, with 802 women, the current study investigated the relationship between work-family enrichment and organizational affective commitment as well as the role of sex as a moderator of this relationship. The hypotheses were tested by using regression analysis. The results indicated that the perception held by workers that their work enriches their family is positively correlated with their affective commitment toward the organization. Furthermore, the data revealed that this relationship is stronger for women than for men. Study results have implications for management, particularly for human resource management, enhancing their knowledge about the relationship of work-family enrichment and workers’ affective commitment toward organization.

Keywords

work-family relationshipwork-family enrichmentaffective commitmentgender
Type
Research Article
Information
The Spanish Journal of Psychology , Volume 18 , 2015 , E35
Copyright
Copyright © Universidad Complutense de Madrid and Colegio Oficial de Psicólogos de Madrid 2015 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Acker, J. (1990). Hierarchies, jobs, bodies: Theory of gendered organizations. Gender and Society, 4, 139–158. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/089124390004002002 Google Scholar
Akerlof, G. A., & Kranton, R. E. (2000). Economics and identity. Quarterly Journal of Economics, 115, 715–753. http://dx.doi.org/10.1162/003355300554881 Google Scholar
Allen, T. D. (2001). Family-supportive work environments: The role of organizational perceptions. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 58, 414–435. http://dx.doi.org/10.1006/jvbe.2000.1774 Google Scholar
Amâncio, L. (2007). Género e divisão do trabalho doméstico – o caso português em perspectiva [Gender and the division of domestic labour: The Portuguese case in perspective], In Wall, K. & Amâncio, L. (Eds.), Família e género em Portugal e na Europa [Family and gender in Portugal and in Europe] (pp. 181–209). Lisboa, Portugal: Instituto de Ciências Sociais.Google Scholar
Andrade, C., & Matias, M. (2009). Gender differences in work-to-family facilitation in Portuguese employees. Exedra, 2, 161–172.Google Scholar
Andrews, A., & Bailyn, L. (1993). Segmentation and synergy: Two models linking work and family. In Hood, J. C. (Ed.), Men, work, and family (pp. 262–275). Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications.Google Scholar
Aryee, S., Srinivas, E. S., & Tan, H. H. (2005). Rhythms of life: Antecedents and outcomes of work-family balance in employed parents. Journal of Applied Psychology, 90, 132–146. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.90.1.132 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bakker, A. B., Demerouti, E., & Euwema, M. C. (2005). Job resources buffer the impact of job demands on burnout. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 10, 170–180. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/1076-8998.10.2.170 Google Scholar
Bakker, A. B., Hakanen, J. J., Demerouti, E., & Xanthopoulou, D. (2007). Job resources boost work engagement, particularly when job demands are high. Journal of Educational Psychology, 99, 274–284. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.99.2.274 Google Scholar
Baron, R. M., & Kenny, D. A. (1986). The moderator-mediator variable distinction in social psychological research: Conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 51, 1173–1182. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037//0022-3514.51.6.1173 Google Scholar
Blau, P. M. (1964). Exchange and power in social life. New York, NY: John Wiley.Google Scholar
Blomme, R. J., Tromp, D. M., & van Rheede, A. (2008). Predictors of turnover intentions of highly educated employees in the hospitality industry. In Chen, J. (Ed.), Advances in hospitality and leisure (Vol. 4., pp. 3–28). Bingley, UK: Emerald Group Publishing Limited.Google Scholar
Boyar, S. L., & Mosley, D. C. Jr. (2007). The relationship between core self-evaluations and work and family satisfaction: The mediating role of work-family conflict and facilitation. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 71, 265−281. http://dx.doi.org/doi:10.1016/j.jvb.2007.06.001 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Broadbridge, A., & Hearn, J. (2008). Gender and management: New directions in research and continuing patterns in practice. British Journal of Management, 19, 38–49. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8551.2008.00570.x Google Scholar
Byron, K. (2005). A meta-analytic review of work-family conflict and its antecedents. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 67, 169–198. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2004.08.009 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Carlson, D. S., Kacmar, K. M., Wayne, J. H., & Grzywacz, J. G. (2006). Measuring the positive side of the work – family interface: Development and validation of a work-family enrichment scale. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 68, 131–164. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2005.02.002 Google Scholar
Carlson, D. S., Grzywacz, J. G., & Zivnuska, S. (2009). Is work–family balance more than conflict and enrichment? Human Relations, 62, 1459–1486. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0018726709336500 Google Scholar
Carvalho, V. S., & Chambel, M. J. (2014). Work-family enrichment and employees' well-being: High performance work system and job characteristics. Social Indicators Research, 119, 373–387. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11205-013-0475-8 Google Scholar
Casaca, S. F. (2013). As novas dinâmicas laborais e os desafios da articulação com a vida familiar [The new labor dynamics and the challenges of the family articulation]. Sociologia, Problemas e Práticas, 72, 31–52.Google Scholar
Casper, W. J., Eby, L. T., Bordeaux, C., Lockwood, A., & Lambert, D. (2007). A review of research methods in IO/OB work-family research. Journal of Applied Psychology, 92, 28–43. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.92.1.28 Google Scholar
Casper, W. J., Martin, J. A., Buffardi, L. C., & Erdwing, C. J. (2002). Work-family conflict, perceived organizational support, and organizational commitment among employed mothers. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 7, 99–108. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/1076-8998.7.2.99 Google Scholar
Chambel, M. J., & Sobral, F. (2011). Training is an investment with return in temporary workers: A social exchange perspective. Career Development International, 16, 161–177. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/13620431111115613 Google Scholar
Chandra, V. (2012). Work-life balance: Eastern and western perspectives. The International of Human Resource Management, 23, 1040–1056. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09585192.2012.651339 Google Scholar
Chang, A., McDonald, P., & Burton, P. (2010). Methodological choices in work-life balance research 1987 to 2006: A critical review. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 21, 2381–2413. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09585192.2010.516592 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Connell, R. W. (1987). Gender and power: Society, the person, and sexual politics. Standford, CA: Standford University Press.Google Scholar
Crompton, R. (2001). Gender restructuring, employment, and caring. Social Politics, 8, 266–291. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/sp/8.3.266 Google Scholar
Crompton, R., Lewis, S., & Lyonette, C. (2007). Women, men, work and family in Europe. Basingstoke, UK: Palgrave Macmillan.Google Scholar
Duncan, S. (2002). Policy discourses on ‘reconciling work and life’ in EU. Social Policy and Society, 1, 305–314. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S1474746402004050 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Duncan, K. A., & Pettigrew, R. N. (2012). The effect of work-arrangements on perception of work-family balance. Community, Work & Family, 15, 403–423. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13668803.2012.724832 Google Scholar
Duxbury, L. E., & Higgins, C. A. (1991). Gender differences in work-family conflict. Journal of Applied Psychology, 76, 60–74. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.76.1.60 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Eby, L. T., Casper, W. J., Lockwood, A., Bordeaux, C., & Brinley, A. (2005). Work and family research in IO/OB: Content analysis and review of the literature (1980–2002). Journal of Vocational Behavior, 66, 124–197. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2003.11.003 Google Scholar
Estevez-Abe, M. (2005). Gender bias in skills policies: The varieties of capitalism perspective on sex segregation. Social Politics, 12, 180–215. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/sp/jxi011 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Estevez-Abe, M. (2006). Gendering the varieties of capitalism – A study of occupational segregation by sex in advanced industrial societies. World Politics, 59, 142–175. http://dx.doi.org/10.1353/wp.2007.0016 Google Scholar
Eurobarometer (2010). Monitoring the social impact of the crisis: Public perceptions in the European Union – Wave 2. Brussels, Belgium: European Commission - Directorate-General Communication. Retrieved from http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/flash/fl_286_en.pdf Google Scholar
European Commission (2013). The impact of the economic crisis on the situation of women and men and on gender equality policies - Synthesis report. Luxembourg, Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union. Retrieved from http://ec.europa.eu/justice/gender-equality/files/documents/130410_crisis_report_en.pdf Google Scholar
European Institute for Gender Equality (2013). The European Institute for Gender Equality Annual Report 2012. Luxembourg, Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union.Google Scholar
Field, A. (2009). Discovering Statistics Using SPSS, (2ª Ed.). London, UK: Sage.Google Scholar
Friedman, S. D., & Greenhaus, J. H. (2000). Work and family - Allies or enemies? What happens when business professionals confront life choices. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Frone, M. R. (2003). Work-family balance. In Quick, J. C. & Tetrick, L. E. (Eds.), Handbook of occupational health psychology (pp. 143–162). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Frone, M. R., Russell, M., & Cooper, M. L. (1992). Antecedents and outcomes of work–family conflict: Testing a model of the work–family interface. Journal of Applied Psychology, 77, 65–78. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.77.1.65 Google Scholar
Gatrell, C. (2004). Hard labour: The sociology of parenthood. Buckingham, UK: Open University Press.Google Scholar
Greenhaus, J. H., & Beutell, N. J. (1985). Sources of conflict between work and family roles. The Academy of Management Review, 10, 76–88. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/258214 Google Scholar
Greenhaus, J. H., & Parasuraman, S. (1989). Sources of work-family conflict among two-career couples. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 44, 133–153. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0001-8791(89)90010-9 Google Scholar
Greenhaus, J. H., & Powell, G. N. (2006). When work and family are allies: A theory of work-family enrichment. Academy of Management Review, 31, 72–92. http://dx.doi.org/10.5465/AMR.2006.19379625 Google Scholar
Grzywacz, J. G., & Marks, N. F. (2000). Reconceptualizing the work–family interface: An ecological perspective on the correlates of positive and negative spillover between work and family. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 5, 111–126.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Guerreiro, M. D., & Pereira, I. (2007). Women´s occupational patterns and work-family arrangements: Do national and organizational policies matter? (pp. 190–209) In Crompton, R., Lewis, S., & Lyonette, C. (Eds.), Women, men, work and family in Europe. London, UK: Palgrave Macmillan CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hegewisch, A., & Gornick, J. C. (2011). The impact of work-family policies on women’s employment: A review of research from OECD countries. Community, Work & Family, 14, 119–138. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13668803.2011.571395 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Instituto Nacional de Estatística (2012). Inquérito ao emprego 2011 [Inquiry of employment]. Lisboa, Portugal: INE.Google Scholar
Jennings, J. E., & McDougald, M. S. (2007). Work-family interface experiences and coping strategies: Implications for entrepreneurship research and practice. Academy of Management Review, 32, 747–760. http://dx.doi.org/10.5465/AMR.2007.25275510 Google Scholar
Kaufman, G., & Uhlenberg, P. (2000). The influence of parenthood on the work effort of married men and women. Social Forces, 78, 931–947. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/sf/78.3.931 Google Scholar
Kimmel, M. S. (2012). The gendered society (5 th Ed.). London, UK: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
King, E. B. (2008). The effect of bias on the advancement of working mothers: Disentangling legitimate concerns from inaccurate stereotypes as predictors of career success. Human Relations, 61, 1677–1711. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0018726708098082 Google Scholar
King, E. B., Botsford, W. E., & Huffman, A. H. (2009). Work, family, and organizational advancement: Does balance support the perceived advancement of mother? Sex Roles, 61, 879–891. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11199-009-9692-7 Google Scholar
Mandel, H. (2011). Rethinking the paradox: Tradeoffs in work family policy and patterns of gender inequality. Community, Work & Family, 14, 159–176. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13668803.2011.571397 Google Scholar
Mandel, H., & Semyonov, M. (2005). Family policies, wage structures, and gender gaps: Sources of earnings inequality in 20 countries. American Sociological Review, 70, 949–967. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/000312240507000604 Google Scholar
Mandel, H., & Semyonov, M. (2006). A welfare state paradox: State interventions and women’s employment opportunities in 22 countries. American Journal of Sociology, 111, 1910–1949.Google Scholar
Mauno, S., Kinnunen, U., & Feldt, T. (2012). Work-family culture and job satisfaction: Does gender and parenting status alter the relationship? Community, Work & Family, 15, 101–129. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13668803.2011.598733 Google Scholar
McNall, L. A., Nicklin, J. M., & Masuda, A. D. (2010). A meta-analytic review of the consequences associated with work-family enrichment. Journal of Business and Psychology, 25, 381–396. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10869-009-9141-1 Google Scholar
Meyer, J. P., & Allen, N. J. (1991). A three-component conceptualization of organizational commitment. Human Resource Management Review, 1, 61–98. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/1053-4822(91)90011-Z Google Scholar
Meyer, P. J., & Allen, J. N. (1997). Commitment in the workplace: Theory, research, and application. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Meyer, J. P., Allen, N. J. & Smith, C. A. (1993). Commitment to organizations and occupations: Extension and test of a three-component conceptualization. Journal of Applied Psychology, 78, 538–551. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037//0021-9010.78.4.538 Google Scholar
Meyer, J. P., Stanley, D. J., Herscovitch, L., & Topolnytsky, L (2002). Affective, continuance and normative commitment to the organization: A Meta-analysis of antecedents, correlates, and consequences. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 61, 20–52. http://dx.doi.org/10.1006/jvbe.2001.1842 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Moen, P. (2011). From ‘work-family’ to the gendered life course and ‘fit’: Five challenges to the field. Community, Work & Family, 14, 81–96. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13668803.2010.532661 Google Scholar
Moen, P., & Sweet, S. (2004). From ‘work-family’ to ‘flexible careers’: A life course reframing. Community, Work & Family, 7, 209–226. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/1366880042000245489 Google Scholar
Noonan, M. C., Estes, S. B., & Glass, J. L. (2007). Do workplace flexibility policies influence time spent in domestic labor? Journal of Family Issues, 28, 263–288. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0192513X06292703 Google Scholar
Powell, G. N., & Greenhaus, J. H. (2010). Sex, gender, and the work-to-family interface: Exploring negative and positive interdependencies. Academy of Management Journal, 53, 513–534. http://dx.doi.org/10.5465/AMJ.2010.51468647 Google Scholar
Ridgeway, C. L., & Correll, S. I. (2004). Unpacking the gender system. A theoretical perspective on gender beliefs and social relations. Gender & Society, 18, 510–531. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0891243204265269 Google Scholar
Scandura, T. A., & Lankau, M. J. (1997). Relationships of gender, family responsibility and work flexible hours to organizational commitment and job satisfaction. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 18, 377–391. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1099-1379(199707)18:4%3C377::AID-JOB807%3E3.0.CO;2-1 Google Scholar
Shelton, L. M. (2006). Female entrepreneurs, work–family conflict, and venture performance: New insights into the work–family interface. Journal of Small Business Management, 44, 285–297. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-627X.2006.00168.x Google Scholar
Sheridan, A. (2004). Chronic presenteeism: The multiple dimensions to men’s absence from part-time work. Gender, Work and Organization, 11, 207–225. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-0432.2004.00229.x CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shockley, K. M., & Allen, T. D. (2007). When flexibility helps? Another look at the availability on flexible work arrangements and work-family conflict. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 71, 479–493. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2007.08.006 Google Scholar
Sieber, S. D. (1974). Toward a theory of role accumulation. American Sociological Review, 39, 567–578. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/2094422 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Torres, A. C., Silva, F. V., Monteiro, T. L., & Cabrita, M. (2004.) Homens e mulheres entre família e trabalho [Men and women between family and work]. Lisboa, Portugal: CITE - Comissão para a Igualdade no Trabalho e no Emprego, Ministério do Trabalho e da Segurança Social.Google Scholar
Vieira, J. M., Ávila, M., & Matos, P. M. (2012). Attachment and Parenting: The mediating role of work-family balance in Portuguese parents of preschool children. Family Relations, 61, 31–50. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-3729.2011.00680.x Google Scholar
Vieira, J. M., Lopez, F. G., & Matos, P. M. (2014). Further validation of work-family conflict and work-family enrichment scales among Portuguese working parents. Journal of Career Assessment, 22, 329–344. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1069072713493987 Google Scholar
Wattis, L., Standing, K., & Yerkes, M. A. (2013). Mothers and work-life balance: Exploring the contradiction and complexities involved in work-family negotiation. Community, Work & Family, 16, 1–19. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13668803.2012.722008 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wayne, J. H., Musisca, N., & Fleeson, W. (2004). Considering the role of personality in the work-family experience: Relationships of the Big Five to work-family conflict and facilitation. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 64, 108–130. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0001-8791(03)00035-6 Google Scholar
Wayne, J. H., Randel, A. E., & Stevens, J. (2006). The role of identity and work–family support in work–family enrichment and its work-related consequences. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 69, 445–461. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2006.07.002 Google Scholar
Wiese, B. S., & Salmela-Aro, K. (2008). Goal conflict and facilitation as predictors of work-family satisfaction and engagement. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 73, 490–497. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2008.09.007 Google Scholar
Wood, W., & Eagly, A. H. (2010). Gender. In Fisk, S. T., Gilbert, D. T. & Lindzey, G. (Eds.), Handbook of Social Psychology, (5 th Ed., Vol. 1., pp. 629–667) New York, NY: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar