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Work-life conflict in Britain: job demands and resources

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  • Henz, Ursula
  • Mills, Colin

Abstract

This article examines the influence of job demands and job-related resources on the experience of two dimensions of work-life conflict (WLC) in Britain. Theory suggests that higher levels of resources should reduce WLC but empirical analyses often fail to find this effect. We address the issue by examining the impact of a wide range of resources as well as their interactions with job demands. Analyses of the Working in Britain 2000 survey suggest that job resources and demands affect WLC through different processes, which differ for the two types of WLC. They fail to find evidence that job resources dampen the effects of job demands on WLC. They also document that many effects of job characteristics depend on context or vary by gender, for example, the effects of job pressure and job autonomy.

Suggested Citation

  • Henz, Ursula & Mills, Colin, 2015. "Work-life conflict in Britain: job demands and resources," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 60070, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    • Handle: RePEc:ehl:lserod:60070
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    File URL: http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/60070/
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Duncan Gallie & Helen Russell, 2009. "Work-Family Conflict and Working Conditions in Western Europe," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 93(3), pages 445-467, September.
    2. Michael White & Stephen Hill & Patrick McGovern & Colin Mills & Deborah Smeaton, 2003. "‘High‐performance’ Management Practices, Working Hours and Work–Life Balance," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 41(2), pages 175-195, June.
    3. Schieman, Scott & Reid, Sarah, 2009. "Job authority and health: Unraveling the competing suppression and explanatory influences," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 69(11), pages 1616-1624, December.
    4. McGovern, Patrick & Hill, Stephen & Mills, Colin & White, Michael, 2007. "Market, Class, and Employment," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780199213382.
    5. Frances McGinnity & Emma Calvert, 2009. "Work-Life Conflict and Social Inequality in Western Europe," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 93(3), pages 489-508, September.
    6. Nadia Steiber, 2009. "Reported Levels of Time-based and Strain-based Conflict Between Work and Family Roles in Europe: A Multilevel Approach," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 93(3), pages 469-488, September.
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    Cited by:

    1. Achatz, Juliane & Gundert, Stefanie, 2017. "Arbeitsqualität und Jobsuche von erwerbstätigen Grundsicherungsbeziehern," IAB-Forschungsbericht 201710, Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), Nürnberg [Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany].

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    work-life conflict; job resources; job demands; buffer hypothesis;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • R14 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Land Use Patterns
    • J01 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - General - - - Labor Economics: General

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