Integrating family science and work-family research: a cross-cultural project on support

In the field of work-family research, there has been greater emphasis on studying the relationship between generalized work support and work-family conflict (WFC) as compared to generalized family support and WFC. The relative neglect of the role of generalized family support in WFC should be addressed given recent evidence demonstrating that the impact of work/family demands tends to vary across cultures. Work demands play a stronger role in individualistic Anglo cultures and family demands playing a stronger role in collectivistic Asian cultures (e.g. Aycan, 2008). Individuals in collectivistic countries tend to report more family-to-work conflict and less work-to-family conflict than those in individualist cultures (Allen, French, Dumani, & Shockley, 2015). Further, broad sources of support (such as organizational support or family support) as compared to single or specific sources of support (such as co-worker support or supervisor support or spousal support) may be better at reducing conflict in collectivist or assertive cultures, or countries that have high unemployment rates (French et.al, 2018).

In this project, we shift our focus from work to the family sphere – “the most important and enduring of all human social groupings” (Smith, Hamon, Ingoldsby & Miller, 2009, p. 5). We hope to disentangle the ways in which families may help shape individual behavior in the workplace, and how that process might differ across countries. Family science theories offer an additional lens with which to examine workplace behavior (Jaskiewicz et al., 2017). In particular, we draw from family communication patterns theory (Fitzpatrick & Ritchie, 1994; Ritchie & Fitzpatrick, 1990) and intergenerational solidarity theory (Bengston & Roberts, 1991) to help understand how aspects of family may impact expectations and perceptions of different sources of support. Our cross-cultural approach will include findings from Brazil, China, India and the US. Focus groups and interviews will take place from January 2020 onwards and initial findings will be available in June 2020.