Examination of the double burden hypothesis-a systematic review of work-family conflict and sickness absence

Women consistently have higher sickness absence than men. The double-burden hypothesis suggests this is due to higher work-family burden in women than men. The current study aimed to systematically review prospective studies of work-family conflict and subsequent sickness absence. A systematic searc...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:European journal of public health 2017-06, Vol.27 (3), p.465-471
Main Authors: Nilsen, Wendy, Skipstein, Anni, Østby, Kristian A, Mykletun, Arnstein
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Absenteeism
Community medicine, Social medicine: 801
Editor's Choice
Family
Female
Health sciences: 800
Helsefag: 800
Humans
Male
Medical disciplines: 700
Medisinske Fag: 700
Samfunnsmedisin, sosialmedisin: 801
Sex Factors
Sickness Absence
VDP
Work-Life Balance - statistics & numerical data
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Summary:Women consistently have higher sickness absence than men. The double-burden hypothesis suggests this is due to higher work-family burden in women than men. The current study aimed to systematically review prospective studies of work-family conflict and subsequent sickness absence. A systematic search was conducted in the electronic databases Medline, PsycINFO, and Embase with subject heading terms and keywords with no language or time restrictions. Two reviewers independently screened abstracts and read full-texts with pre-defined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Eight included studies ( n = 40 856 respondents) measure perceived work-family conflict and subsequent sickness absence. We found moderate evidence for a positive relationship between work-family conflict and subsequent sickness absence, and that women experience higher levels of work-family conflict than men. Work-family conflict is associated with later sickness absence, and work-family conflict is more common for women than for men. This indicates that work-family conflict may contribute to the gender gap in sick leave. However, further studies are needed to confirm whether this relationship is causal.
ISSN:1101-1262
1464-360X
1464-360X
DOI:10.1093/eurpub/ckx054