The influence of work pressure and industry on work-family conflict : a meta-analytic review of South African research

Abstract

Research purpose The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of work pressure on work-family conflict as reported by South African academic research. Furthermore, the study examines the influence of employees working in gendered industries on the association between work pressure and work-family conflict. Motivation for study There is currently no meta-analytic study employing just South African samples to investigate work-family conflict As researchers are often confronted with conflicting findings from different studies, this study aims to make sense of work-family conflict in South Africa by reporting on its current status using all available published literature. Research design, approach and methods This study followed a meta-analytic approach in order to investigate the current state of work-family conflict in South Africa according to the published quantitative academic literature. As such, correlations between sources of work pressure and work-family conflict reported in articles were used in order to calculate overall estimations of the association between work pressure, industry, and work-family conflict. Main findings Results indicate that various sources of work pressure, as well as overall work pressure, are positively associated with work-family conflict. Regarding industry, results indicate that the industry, that is, whether industries are numerically male- or female-dominated, moderates the association between work pressure and workfamily conflict in such a way that employees in male-dominated industries experience increased work-family conflict compared to employees in femaledominated industries. Limitations Results should be interpreted bearing in mind that the types of industries in which samples were collected were very limited, and as such, results might not be applicable to all male- or female-dominated industries in South Africa. Also impinging on the true nature of the work-family conflict relationship with work pressure and industry, is the limited number of articles included in the study because there are a limited number of published studies which have been conducted in South Africa. Lastly, the manner in which samples were categorised as male- or femaledominated does not guarantee a masculine or feminine culture within those organisations respectively. Future research It is suggested that similar studies regarding work-family conflict and industry conducted in the future categorise industries as male- or female-dominated according to the nature of the cultures in those organisations--either masculine or feminine. Classifying organisations as male- or female-dominated in this manner should provide more representative results of the true nature of the association between work-family conflict and industry. Researchers should also try to obtain a more representative sample of male- and female-dominated industries in order to make the results applicable to a wider range of sectors. Conclusion Insight was given into the current nature of work-family conflict in South Africa as reported by the available published academic literature. The association between work pressure, industry, and work-family conflict is reported.