Between work and family in Germany and Europe. The impact of work–family conflicts on the health of women and men.

Abstract

Reconciling work and family roles is a topic of vital and controversial discussion in Western societies. When women and men fail to reconcile their work and family roles, the result is work–family conflict (WFC), which prior research has connected to various aspects of health and well-being. The present thesis consists of four publications, which include one review and three secondary data analyses. They both summarize the existing research on WFC and health in Europe and substantially contributes to the literature. Accordingly, the present study 1) narrows the research gap in longitudinal studies that examine the effect of WFC on health, 2) evaluates how societal structures such as reconciliation policies and gendered division of work affect WFC and health across European countries, and 3) analyzes gender differences in the association between WFC and health. Results show a relatively small number of publications come from the European region, which present associations between WFC and several aspects of health. However, gender differences are not thoroughly examined. When looking at (causal) associations over time, WFC has an effect on both general and mental health. While this association does not differ between European countries, the prevalence of WFC itself does. These differences in WFC reporting can be partly explained by country-level indicators of reconciliation policies. No gender differences in the association between WFC and health were observed in the empirical data, but an analysis of heterogeneity within the gender groups revealed that higher education may alleviate health-related burdens among men but not among women. Interpretation of results, methodological issues, and implications for policy and practice are discussed in light of recent pandemic-driven developments in WFC research and public discourse.