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Testing a model of work/family fit

Christine Leiz Murray, University of Massachusetts Amherst

Abstract

The study of work and family has taken on increasing importance in corporate America. This has been attributed to the growing feminization of the workplace, the increasing numbers of dual-career families, and changing societal values. To date, most of the research concerning work and family issues has been from a conflict perspective. Such research is based on the assumption that work and family are mutually incompatible in some respect. This study broadened the scope of the conventional work/family research program through the use of the larger, more inclusive construct of work/family fit. Data were gathered from 265 respondents in order to develop a measure of work/family fit. The factor analysis of this measure indicated the following four factors: work interfering with family, work benefiting family, family interfering with work, and family benefiting work. While the first and third factors are already present in the work/family literature, the second and fourth factors represent a new addition to the study of the work/family relationship. This measure of work/family fit was then incorporated within an overall model and compared to a traditional model of work/family fit. LISREL results supported the use of the modified work/family model as being more robust and explanatory. Finally, the constructs of work/family fit and work/family conflict were compared concerning the predictive ability of each. Regression analysis indicated that work/family fit was the better predictor of turnover intentions, organizational citizenship behavior, organizational commitment, job satisfaction, and family satisfaction. Study limitations and future research are also discussed.

Subject Area

Management|Occupational psychology|Families & family life|Personal relationships|Sociology

Recommended Citation

Murray, Christine Leiz, "Testing a model of work/family fit" (1998). Doctoral Dissertations Available from Proquest. AAI9841900.
https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations/AAI9841900

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