Work-Family Conflict among Married Teachers of Urban Meerut

Abstract

Background: Work–family conflict (WFC) and Family–work conflict (FWC) are likely to exert negative influences on an individual’s mental health, resulting in lower life satisfaction and greater internal conflict at work-family interface. Existing literature on WFC ignores the teaching profession, despite it being a universal phenomenon. This study expands on WFC & FWC occurring in the lives of female teachers, with special mention of psychological distress and wellbeing of the working women. Methods: The main objectives of the study were to compare WFC with FWC among married teachers of urban Meerut and to assess various factors associated with them. It was a cross-sectional study conducted in schools of urban block of Meerut, Uttar Pradesh on 384 teachers aged 20 - 50 years, and married for at least 3 years. Data was collected using a questionnaire containing Breyer’s work family conflict scale and analysed using SPSS V25, ANOVA, and Pearson’s correlation Results: FWC (Mean 5.97; SD=1.962) was found to be greater than WFC (Mean 4.93.01; SD=1.571). More than 60% of the participants were always or often asked to bear the brunt of dual role, even when most of them (~58%) were working solely due to family needs. Variables like reason for working, work experiences and demand for dual roles were found to be important in deciding WFC as well as FWC. Conclusions: This study explores WFC/ FWC and governing factors in these conflicts. Present study found that family roles created more friction towards work roles in teachers rather than work roles creating friction in family roles. Keywords: Work Family conflict, Teachers, Married, Women.