Work/Family Conflict

This entry focuses on work/family conflict, including how it is part of the broader work/family interface; its antecedents and correlates; and how it is related to individual, family, and work outcomes. Although employed teens might experience work/family conflict, the focus here is on individuals age 18 and older. The majority of adults in the United States occupy both family and employment roles. In 2014, for example, 85% of families included at least one employed adult.

Individuals experience work/family conflict when the demands and expectations of work and family are incompatible. This incompatibility includes overload (i.e., too much to do) and/or interference. Interference often manifests as spillover of conflicting expectations and scheduling problems from work-to-family (WTF) and from family-to-work (FTW). For example, an employed parent might have ...