Work-Family Conflict, Stress, and Physical and Mental Health: A Model for Understanding Barriers to and Opportunities for Women's Well-Being at Home and in the Workplace

Abstract

Work–family conflict is a common experience for women around the world due to potential stresses associated with trying to achieve work–life balance. Few occupational health studies have integrated both psychological assessments (such as the use of validated self-report appraisals of perceived stress and daily hassles) and physiological measurements of stress (such as cortisol and epinephrine levels; blood pressure; and other tests of endocrine, immunological, and cardiovascular functions) with evaluations of changes in health behavior and a diversity of diseases and other health outcomes. We present a novel conceptual model for examining the links between work–family conflict and stress in the context of individual and situational characteristics, coping strategies, and work and family outcomes. Besides providing a theoretical framework for research, the model points toward a variety of policies that might reduce work–family stress and provide a pathway to improved well-being and life satisfaction for women.