A Dyadic Approach to Examining Dual-Earner Couples' Boundary Segmentation Preferences and Work-Family Conflict

In this study, we integrated boundary theory and the person-person fit perspective to examine the influence of the congruence and incongruence between dual-earner couples' work segmentation preference (WSP) and family segmentation preference (FSP) on work-family conflict. We surveyed 161 dual-e...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of stress management 2022-08, Vol.29 (3), p.292-305
Main Authors: Wan, Min (Maggie), Shaffer, Margaret A., Dou, Jifang, Zhang, Mian, Zhang, Yejun
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Conflict
Couples
Dual Careers
Dyads
Family
Family Work Relationship
Female
Human
Human Sex Differences
Husbands
Male
Preferences
Wives
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Summary:In this study, we integrated boundary theory and the person-person fit perspective to examine the influence of the congruence and incongruence between dual-earner couples' work segmentation preference (WSP) and family segmentation preference (FSP) on work-family conflict. We surveyed 161 dual-earner couples in China and used polynomial regression and response surface analysis to examine how their combined WSP and FSP influenced each partner's work-to-family conflict (WFC) and family-to-work conflict (FWC). We found that wives' WFC and FWC were lower when both partners of a dual-earner couple preferred to segment their work and family lives at a higher level. In addition, this congruence effect on WFC was stronger for wives. Regarding the incongruence effects, wives' WFC and FWC tended to be lower when their role segmentation preference was higher than that of their husbands. None of the hypothesized relationships were significant for husbands. Implications for research and practice are discussed.
ISSN:1072-5245
1573-3424
DOI:10.1037/str0000262