Associations between Supervisor and Coworker Support and Parenting Stress among Employed Mothers with Nonstandard Work Schedules

Abstract

This study examined the effects of supervisor and coworker support on parenting stress among employed mothers working nonstandard hours in South Korea. In addition, this study investigated the mediating role of family-supportive organization perception on the above associations. Path analysis was applied to data collected from 223 Korean mothers who worked nonstandard hours and had at least one child under the age of six. The results showed that supervisor support was inversely associated with parenting stress. However, coworker support was not significantly associated with parenting stress. Family-supportive organization perception mediated the association between supervisor support and parenting stress. Consequently, the supervisor plays a key role in establishing a family-friendly workplace culture, which leads to an alleviation of the burden of parenting among employed mothers with nonstandard work schedules in Korean organizational contexts, which are characterized as a vertical and hierarchical structure. In response to these findings, researchers and policy makers should find a way to reduce the negative effects of maternal nonstandard work schedules on child and family well-being in diverse contexts to promote social well-being.