ABSTRACT
Background: In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, this study investigated mental health within dual-earner, heterosexual couples working from home and explored whether gender differences in mental health relate to unequal division of labor and/or level of childcare commitment (i.e., having no children, having at least one child below or equal to 6 years old, and having children all above 7 years old). Methods: Participants (N = 277;55% male, 85% White) were heterosexual adults living with a romantic partner (both employed either full- or part-time), working from home during the pandemic. They were recruited via Amazon Mechanical Turk and completed self-report measures of anxiety and depressive symptoms, and parental stress. Results: On average, during the pandemic females contributed more hours to household chores and childcare per female and male reports. However, females perceived their effort expended to be greater than that expended by males, whereas males perceived equal effort. Both genders perceived the division of labor as being fair overall. Females without children reported greater anxiety than did males without children. Females' anxiety was relatively constant across parental statuses. Males with children below or equal to age 6 experienced greater anxiety than did males without children. Also, males who reported a higher share of perceived effort in doing household chores endorsed greater anxiety, depression, and parental stress compared to females in the same situation. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)
ABSTRACT
Background: In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, this study investigated mental health within dual-earner, heterosexual couples working from home and explored whether gender differences in mental health relate to unequal division of labor and/or level of childcare commitment (i.e., having no children, having at least one child below or equal to 6 years old, and having children all above 7 years old). Methods: Participants (N = 277;55% male, 85% White) were heterosexual adults living with a romantic partner (both employed either full- or part-time), working from home during the pandemic. They were recruited via Amazon Mechanical Turk and completed self-report measures of anxiety and depressive symptoms, and parental stress. Results: On average, during the pandemic females contributed more hours to household chores and childcare per female and male reports. However, females perceived their effort expended to be greater than that expended by males, whereas males perceived equal effort. Both genders perceived the division of labor as being fair overall. Females without children reported greater anxiety than did males without children. Females' anxiety was relatively constant across parental statuses. Males with children below or equal to age 6 experienced greater anxiety than did males without children. Also, males who reported a higher share of perceived effort in doing household chores endorsed greater anxiety, depression, and parental stress compared to females in the same situation. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)
ABSTRACT
The work-family interface continues to change as modern family dynamics shift and diversity in the workforce increases. Dual-earner couples with children are just one example of the complexities affecting families that are increasingly present in the workplace. This qualitative study examined several factors that are under addressed in the current work-family literature, focusing on dual-earner couples with children, same-sex dual-earner couples, and families where at least one partner has a doctoral level occupation. The current study included both heterosexual and sexual minority (i.e., same-sex) couples to reflect families in current American society, and to contribute to the limited body of research on same-sex couples in the work-family interface. The objectives of this study were to understand more about the work-family interface among dual-earner couples in doctoral level occupations, to understand how couple relationships and parenting are influenced by navigating both work and home domains, and to understand the role of occupational and organizational factors such as family-friendly policies in supporting one's home and family life. A semi-structured qualitative interview with couples was used to gather data, which was analyzed using generic qualitative inquiry and thematic analysis. The overall findings of this study were that participants experience a variety of negative and positive impacts due to the factors of spillover, being a working parent, being in a doctoral level occupation, the family-friendly policies at their workplaces, COVID-19, being a dual-earner couple, the influence of gender roles, and sexual orientation. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)