Process of coping with work-family conflicts in dual-income couples with children

Abstract

This study elucidates processes of coping with work-family conflicts in double-income couples with children. Eight stories of dilemmas concerning work-family conflicts were constructed. Regular employees (N = 20) were instructed to narrate the parts of the story in which they thought about how to cope with work-family conflict situations. The protocol analyses revealed the following: (a) most people prioritized their home over their jobs when their families encountered difficult situations, and (b) in cases where either spouse had a demanding or difficult job, there were gender differences with regard to the process of coping with work-family conflicts. The implications of these results are discussed.