A Bright Side to the Work-Family Interface: Husbands' Support as a Resource in Double-and-Triple-Duty Caregiving Wives' Work Lives

Abstract

Purpose of the Study: This study examined how women who combine long-term care employment with unpaid, informal caregiving roles for children (double-duty-child caregivers), older adults (double-duty-elder caregivers), and both children and older adults (triple-duty caregivers) differed from their workplace-only caregiving counterparts on workplace factors related to job retention (i.e., job satisfaction and turnover intentions) and performance (i.e., perceived obligation to work while sick and emotional exhaustion). The moderating effects of perceived spouse support were also examined. Design and Methods: Regression analyses were conducted on survey data from 546 married, heterosexual women employed in U.S.-based nursing homes. Results: Compared to workplace-only caregivers, double-duty-elder and triple-duty caregivers reported more emotional exhaustion. Double-duty-child caregivers reported lower turnover intentions and both double-and-triple-duty caregivers felt less obligated to work while sick when perceiving greater support from husbands. Implications: Results indicate that double-and-triple-duty caregiving women's job retention and obligation to work while sick may depend on perceived spouse support, highlighting the important role husbands play in their wives' professional lives. Findings also lend support to the emerging literature on marriage-to-work positive spillover, and suggest that longterm care organizations should target marital relationships in family-friendly initiatives to retain and engage double-andtriple-duty caregiving employees.