The Impact of Gender Differences on Work

Topic: Gender Differences in the Relationship between Work–Life
Balance, Career Opportunities and General Health Perception

Write brief introduction and draw a research framework
indicating research hypotheses.
Introduction:
Over the past few decades, massive changes in society and in the workplace have occurred. For
example, the participation of women in the workforce, while fulfilling family responsibilities and
the growing heterogeneity of the workforce in general are now a fact, as is the rise in teleworking
or the habit of bringing work home. These changes have brought attention to the need to address
diversity management, as well as to the boundaries between employee work and personal life.
Work–life balance occurs when the time spent on the job role does not limit the time dedicated to
personal life (for example, engaging in leisure or family activities). It is an important antecedent
of job and life satisfaction and a critical job resource that makes work demands be experienced
more positively, for example, by creating a work–family climate where workers feel they do not
have to sacrifice effectiveness in their family role to perform their jobs (Kossek et al., 2011). In
actuality, work-family balance is most likely made up of three components: (a) time balance:
allocating the same amount of time to work and family responsibilities; (b) involvement balance:
allocating the same amount of psychological energy to the aforementioned roles; (c) satisfaction
balance: allocating the same amount of satisfaction to both work and family responsibilities
(Greenhaus et al., 2003). However, there have been concerns raised about the definition's
repeated emphasis on equity. Depending on how this equilibrium is viewed, work-life balance
may vary significantly. For instance, one could put in a lot of overtime without feeling that there
are any detrimental effects from the disparity between working and free time (Brough et al.,
2014). Either way, in addition to personal opinions, other workplace factors like organizational
culture, the importance of the work, and the existence of work-life initiatives can also have an
impact on how satisfied an individual is with the balance between work and personal life (Munn,
2013).
In actuality, managing many responsibilities being a worker, parent, husband, brother,
sister, and so forth makes people struggle for the same resources, including time and energy,
which can cause tension, symptoms of stress, or health issues (Parkes, 1994).
The Work-Life Balance Aspect Associated with Gender
It is interesting to see how gender affects a variable that simultaneously accounts for the work
and family life components.
Men have always had various societal positions when it comes to how much time they spend
working and taking care of their families; men are often seen as full-time workers outside the
home, while women handle domestic and family responsibilities. Divides in roles based on
gender are a real aspect of the culture as a whole (Glick & Fiske, 1996). Females are connected
with caring, listening, and kindness skills, whereas males are associated with authority,
aggression, dominance, and autonomy (Gali Cinamon & Rich, 2002). As a result, although these
clearly defined roles are now outdated, the possibility that family obligations are still attributed
to women remains high (Plantenga & Hansen, 1999).
In reality, despite the implementation of various pieces of legislation on equal
opportunities, work-life balance may still be far from being gender neutral, according to a study
that evaluated seven countries (the UK, Norway, the Netherlands, India, Japan, and South
Africa) Women continue to have "a considerably deeper tie with family care and household tasks
associated to existing expressions of the gender order," meaning the socially and historically
established hierarchical difference between men and women (Lewis et al., 2007).
However, the traditional male role has evolved. The issue of work-life balance for males
is complicated by a combination of social expectations about their career and expectations about
their function within the home. Men are expected to be the primary financial providers for their
families, which may require them to work longer hours. Furthermore, because males want to
spend time at home with their family, they may wind up experiencing higher levels of stress and
role overload (Evans et al., 2013). Higher degrees of work-life balance, however, have been
connected with a better quality of life among all males who, as a result of this balance, have been
able to attain greater involvement and investment in their family role (Greenhaus et al., 2003).
Work-life balance and potential careers
Given what has been mentioned thus far concerning the effects of gender differences on
work and family life, it is logical to presume that discrepancies between men and women exist in
professional prospects. The research on gender-related job prospects is heavily skewed in favor
of women, as it is unlikely to discover evidence of structured and persistent stereotype
discrimination against men in the workplace.
Karkoulian, S., & Halawi, L. (2007) claimed that Work-life conflict is frequently
identified as a contributing reason to these challenges, as household and childcare duties can
severely and negatively influence women's career advancements. Balancing work and personal
life are a crucial factor in determining professional opportunities, especially for women. Women
often face unique challenges in managing their work and home responsibilities, which can
significantly impact their career advancement and opportunities. The traditional expectation for
women to primarily shoulder caregiving responsibilities at home can significantly limit the time
and energy they can dedicate to their careers. This imbalance may result in women working part-
time or taking career breaks, which in turn can have a substantial impact on their career path and
potential for growth.
Hypothesis:
H1: There will be a positive impact of career opportunities and Work life balance.
H2: There will be a positive impact of work life balance and General health perception
H3: There will be a positive impact of Career opportunities and General health perception
H4: Work life balance mediates the relationship between career opportunities and General
health perception.
H5: Gender moderates the relationship between career opportunities and work life balance.
H6: Gender moderates the relationship between work life balance and General health
perception.
H7: Gender moderates the mediating effect of work life balance on the relationship between
career opportunities and General health perception.
Conceptual Model:
Work life balance
General Health
Perception
Career Opportunities
Gender Differences
Bibliography:
1. Kossek, E. E., Pichler, S., Bodner, T., & Hammer, L. B. (2011). WORKPLACE SOCIAL SUPPORT AND
WORK FAMILY CONFLICT: a META‐ANALYSIS CLARIFYING THE INFLUENCE OF GENERAL
AND WORK FAMILY‐SPECIFIC SUPERVISOR AND ORGANIZATIONAL SUPPORT. Personnel
Psychology, 64(2), 289 313. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-6570.2011.01211.x
2. Greenhaus, J. H., Collins, K. M., & Shaw, J. D. (2003). The relation between work–family balance and
quality of life. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 63(3), 510–531. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0001-
8791(02)00042-8
3. Brough, P., Timms, C., O’Driscoll, M. P., Kalliath, T., Siu, O., Sit, C., & Lo, D. (2014). Work–life balance:
a longitudinal evaluation of a new measure across Australia and New Zealand workers. International
Journal of Human Resource Management, 25(19), 2724–2744.
https://doi.org/10.1080/09585192.2014.899262
4. Munn, S. L. (2013). Unveiling the Work–Life System. Advances in Developing Human Resources, 15(4),
401–417. https://doi.org/10.1177/1523422313498567
5. Parkes, K. R. (1994). Personality and coping as moderators of work stress processes: Models, methods and
measures. Work and Stress, 8(2), 110–129. https://doi.org/10.1080/02678379408259984
6. Glick, P., & Fiske, S. T. (1996). The Ambivalent Sexism Inventory: Differentiating hostile and benevolent
sexism. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 70(3), 491–512. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-
3514.70.3.491
7. Gali Cinamon, R., & Rich, Y. (2002). Gender Differences in the importance of work and Family roles:
Implications for Work–Family Conflict. Journal, 47.
https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1023/A:1022021804846.pdf
8. Plantenga, J., & Hansen, J. (1999). Assessing equal opportunities in the European Union. International
Labour Review, 138(4), 351–379. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1564-913x.1999.tb00393.x
9. Lewis, S., Gambles, R., & Rapoport, R. (2007). The constraints of a ‘work–life balance’ approach: an
international perspective. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 18(3), 360–373.
https://doi.org/10.1080/09585190601165577
10. Evans, A. M., Carney, J. S., & Wilkinson, M. (2013). Work–Life Balance for Men: Counseling
Implications. Journal of Counseling and Development, 91(4), 436–441. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1556-
6676.2013.00115.x
11. Greenhaus, J. H., Collins, K. M., & Shaw, J. D. (2003). The relation between work–family balance and
quality of life. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 63(3), 510–531. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0001-
8791(02)00042-8
12. Karkoulian, S., & Halawi, L. (2007). Women and work/life conflict at higher educational
institutions. International Journal of Business Research, 7(3), 116-126.

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Topic: Gender Differences in the Relationship between Work–Life

Balance, Career Opportunities and General Health Perception

Work life balance

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