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Single Childfree Adults: The Work-Life Stress of an Unexpected Group.
... In fact, single workers without children may deal with their own unique work-life issues (Casper & Swanberg, 2009 ) . For instance, singles may be expected to take on additional work responsibilities when employees with a spouse and/or children need time away from work since their nonwork roles are perceived as unimportant ( Bradley, 2006 ;Scott, 2001 ;Wilson, 2004 ) . ...
... Recent studies have included single workers in the work-life literature (Casper & Roberto, in press ;Casper & Swanberg, 2009 ;Casper, Weltman, & Kwesiga, 2007 ;Hamilton, Gordon, & Whelan-Berry, 2006 ;Young, 1996Young, , 1999 . For instance, Hamilton et al. ( 2006 ) found that nevermarried women without children reported signi fi cant work-to-life con fl ict, at a level similar to that of married women both with and without children (i.e., single women reported 11.62, married women without children reported 12.00, married women with children reported 11.62). ...
... These single women also felt that many bene fi ts offered by their organizations were geared toward the needs of workers with a spouse and children rather than single workers. Casper and Swanberg ( 2009 ) analyzed data from 37 singles without children who were interviewed about their work-life concerns and found 62% felt they were treated differently from coworkers with a spouse and children, and 30% described different work expectations for single and married workers. Examples of different expectations included requirements for longer hours, undesirable hours (working holidays), additional work assignments, and more business travel. ...
This chapter discusses the ethical concerns surrounding providing support for employees’ family demands in a way that is inclusive and does not exclude workers who are single and/or do not have children. Empirical research and public policy issues are discussed which demonstrate ways in which singles workers are perceived poorly or disadvantaged in society. Research on the work-life issues that single workers face is discussed and recommendations are provided for creating a singles-friendly work culture in which the work-life needs of singles without children are supported by the organization, just as work–family needs are supported for employees with spouses and children.
... friendship building and maintenance, dating, domestic requirements) were not seen as legitimate reasons for requiring flexibility at work, or for refusing requests to work additional hours, unlike the demands of working parents. Similar perceptions of time availability were reported in other contexts (Akanji, et al. 2019;Casper & Swanberg, 2009). In the UK context, many solo-living employees were seen to share their employers' 'needs' based distributive justice stance (that working parents need more support), informed by the legislative stance on work-family support, which historically prioritised parents. ...
... As with prior research on the experiences of solo-living staff, sense of entitlement to support for the work-life interface and perceptions of fairness were key themes in our data (Wilkinson et al., 2017;Wilkinson et al., 2018;Casper & Swanberg, 2009;Akanji et al. 2019). Whilst work demands changed for many employees due to the pandemic, there was a clear sense that the needs of working parents were seen to be prioritised. ...
Solo-living employees are a growing segment of the workforce, yet their work-life experiences are under-researched. Taking a biographical narrative approach, we interviewed 35 solo-livers from different countries to explore their transition to homeworking during the Covid-19 lockdowns. Drawing upon the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model and key concepts from the work-life interface literature, we explored both lost/reduced and new/increased job and personal demands and resources at this time. We found that the transition to homeworking during lockdown created several challenges for solo-living staff, often exacerbated by changes to the demands and resources of others – namely those with childcare responsibilities. We argue that ‘sense of entitlement to support for work-life balance’ is an important personal resource, which impacts the work-life interface, and which solo-living staff often lack. Our findings offer solo-friendly recommendations for organisational practice.
... However, the workplace implications of such positive stereotypes for singles can be anything but positive. Organisations may expect singles to undertake undesirable work or endure disagreeable work conditions including late night work, frequent business travel and additional tasks to fill in for co-workers with childcare needs (Casper & Swanberg, 2009;Casper et al., 2007). Although singles experience work-to-life conflict on par with non-singles (Casper et al., 2016;Mordi, Simpson, Singh, & Okafor, 2010;Sidani & Al Hakim, 2012), organisations are often less sympathetic to the non-work obligations of their single employees (Casper & Swanberg, 2009). ...
... Organisations may expect singles to undertake undesirable work or endure disagreeable work conditions including late night work, frequent business travel and additional tasks to fill in for co-workers with childcare needs (Casper & Swanberg, 2009;Casper et al., 2007). Although singles experience work-to-life conflict on par with non-singles (Casper et al., 2016;Mordi, Simpson, Singh, & Okafor, 2010;Sidani & Al Hakim, 2012), organisations are often less sympathetic to the non-work obligations of their single employees (Casper & Swanberg, 2009). In summary, the outlook for single employees is not positive. ...
... For example, relocation with or without the family is a significant stressor and can have profound effects on family members, and therefore, turnover decisions. Researchers (Casper & Swanberg, 2009) have also suggested that work–life stressors can have negative effects on single employees without children, suggesting that research should examine how work–life conflict affects turnover decisions of single employees. Studies might also examine how spouse support and WIF relate to other forms of work withdrawal behaviors (e.g., absenteeism, tardiness, and lowered effort; Hulin, 1991). ...
Employee turnover is a major concern because of its cost to organizations. Although theory supports the influence of nonwork factors on turnover, our understanding of the degree to which nonwork factors relate to actual turnover behavior is not well developed. Using a sample of 5505 U.S. Army officers, we assessed the extent to which spouse career support related to reduced turnover four years later through work interfering with family (WIF) and job satisfaction as mechanisms. Results revealed that spouse career support decreased the odds of turnover, and WIF and job satisfaction sequentially mediated this relationship, with lower WIF and higher job satisfaction reducing the odds of turnover. Practical implications of using family support systems as retention interventions are discussed. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
On a global level, from year to year there is an increase in the number of singles, that is, people who, either willingly or unwillingly, are not in any form of partner relationship, which increases the need for research into this specific phenomenon. This paper presents certain aspects of singlehood and the challenges faced by singles, which have been reviewed and researched in the previous literature: the reasons that lead to singlehood, ubiquitous stereotypes and discrimination, the psychological well-being of singles and their functioning in the context of the workplace and complying work with family and private life. Specific methodological challenges in the given field of research and guidelines for future research are also presented. Mainly, in this paper, singleness is analyzed taking into account the perspective of never-married adults without children, who are not in a committed romantic relationship. Despite the fact that, due to their status, they often have to face criticism from those who do not respect the plurality of attitudes and life choices, single people in terms of subjective well-being, generally did not prove to be inferior to married people. Nevertheless, the relationship between marital status and psychological well-being is still complicated and ambiguous. It has been shown that it is necessary to appeal for equality of rights and treatment in terms of working conditions, regardless of a person’s personal and family status, which would ultimately have a beneficial effect on organizations and society as a whole. The lack of a larger number of targeted studies of single people in Croatia is evident. In view of the above, it would be necessary to perform more detailed research that would thoroughly examine the role of the variables presented in this paper in the context of singlehood, but also other mechanisms and determinants of satisfaction and well-being of this group of people.
The present study examined employees’ perceptions of inclusiveness and fairness of work-life policies for varying family types (i.e., single/childfree employees, partnered/childfree employees, and employees with children). Employees reported no significant differences in job design (autonomy, boundary control), supervisor or coworker support for work-life balance, or access to opportunities based on family type. Single/childfree employees perceived significantly less access to benefits, work expectations, and respect for nonwork roles. Finally, organizations’ support of work-life balance and perceptions of fairness in work-life policy decisions emerged as key themes in the open- ended responses, particularly from employees without children.
Faculty members with families face well-documented challenges in managing the demands of work and life. However, we know less about the experiences of single faculty members. Using agency as a theoretical framework, we assessed whether faculty members have different experiences in enacting agency in work-life balance based on their partner status, gender, and rank. We found single faculty members, particularly single, women associate professors, felt less agency in their ability to balance work and life than their partnered peers. We offer policy recommendations for institutions to more equitably support all faculty members in negotiating work-life challenges.
Answering a call for a more fully developed concept of work-life balance (WLB), we use person-environment fit and control theories to develop a model of WLB incorporating the work, family, and personal domains. We propose a cybernetic model which recognizes that individuals have a desired balance among the three domains that serves as a standard against which they compare their perceptions of WLB at any given point in time. Our cybernetic model suggests that individuals will seek to restore balance when a negative imbalance is perceived. Further we propose that role senders and resources in the domains, as well as anticipated future WLB and retrospective perceptions of WLB also affect desired balance and actions. We discuss the implications of the proposed model for future research and practice.
Purpose
Research on work–life interface in the expatriation context has to date focused on expatriates relocating with a family, and the work–life experiences of single and childless expatriates remain largely unexplored. This is particularly relevant for women, as female expatriates appear to be more often single than their male counterparts and have children less often. The aim of this paper is, therefore, to examine the specific work–life experiences of single and childless female expatriates who are working and living in the French-speaking part of Switzerland.
Design/methodology/approach
A qualitative research design has been adopted for this exploratory study. Data was collected through semi-structured face-to-face interviews with 20 single and childless female expatriates living and working in the French-speaking part of Switzerland.
Findings
Our findings identify a set of personal, work-related, and social and cultural factors contributing to single and childless female expatriates’ conflict and enrichment between work and nonwork spheres, as well as a range of sources and types of social support they rely upon. Our findings demonstrate that work–life issues are also exacerbated for single and childless women in the international context.
Originality/value
This study is the first dedicated to the examination of specific work–life issues of single and childless women in the expatriate context. By revealing the specificities of their work–life experiences, this study contributes to the fields of (female) expatriate research and work–life research and advances current knowledge on nontraditional expatriates.
In this article the author reviews research evidence on the prevalence of mental disorders in lesbians, gay men, and bisexuals (LGBs) and shows, using meta-analyses, that LGBs have a higher prevalence of mental disorders than heterosexuals. The author offers a conceptual framework for understanding this excess in prevalence of disorder in terms of minority stress— explaining that stigma, prejudice, and discrimination create a hostile and stressful social environment that causes mental health problems. The model describes stress processes, including the experience of prejudice events, expectations of rejection, hiding and concealing, internalized homophobia, and ameliorative coping processes. This conceptual framework is the basis for the review of research evidence, suggestions for future research directions, and exploration of public policy implications.
This research investigates relationships between caregiving decisions and work-family outcomes-well-being, performance in work and family roles, and work-family conflict-occurring as a function of dependent type and work and family climates. We compared effects of caregiving decisions regarding place and provider for child and elderly dependents in climates encouraging or discouraging sacrifice and sharing concerns. Well-being and performance were lowest with in-home elder care by a family member, in work or family climates that discouraged sharing concerns.
An examination of the literature on conflict between work and family roles suggests that work-family conflict exists when: (a) time devoted to the requirements of one role makes it difficult to fulfill requirements
of another; (b) strain from participation in one role makes it difficult to fulfill requirements of another; and (c) specific behaviors required by one role make it difficult to fulfill the requirements of another. A model of work-family conflict is proposed, and a series of research propositions is presented.
This study tests a theoretical model of antecedents (e.g., reporting a family-supportive supervisor) and outcomes (e.g., family-work conflict) of employees making use of family-friendly employment benefits. We measured benefit usage both in terms of overall use and by examining the use of four specific family-friendly benefits (i.e., telecommuting, ability to take work home, flextime, and family leave). Although the major test of our model involved the use of cross-sectional data, data gathered at a later point in time also were used to test hypotheses. Our findings highlighted the importance of reporting to a family-supportive supervisor (having such a supervisor was associated with the use of family-friendly benefits, less family-work conflict, and greater job satisfaction). In terms of the use of specific benefits, flextime was associated with lower reports of family-work conflict and higher job satisfaction.
This article examines current work-family practice and scholarship in light of recent demographic shifts that make employees without children under age 18 the predominant group in the workforce. One consequence of this change is work-family backlash, a controversy over the fundamental issue of what is fair. Organizational justice theory helps illuminate the deep assumptions that underlie both corporate work-life policies and employees' perceptions of their fairness, as data from a qualitative study of work-life issues show. Organizational justice theory can also make a significant contribution to work-family research.
As the U.S. population of individuals older than age 65 increases, so does the number of employees providing informal care to aging family members and friends. Yet few studies have investigated the types of elder care issues that employees encounter and the strategies used to care for their elder loved one. Using quantitative data, the authors describe the types of elder care situations experienced by individuals employed at one large organization. The authors present demographic information about employee caregivers and the people for whom they are seeking services, the reasons employees seek elder care consultation and services, and the types of services offered by the elder care program. Employees' perceived benefits of utilizing elder care resources programs are also examined. Implications for practice, policy, and further research are discussed.
The concept of reciprocation, which focuses attention on the relationship between a man and the organization in which he works, offers the possibility of integrating a wide range of data and concepts from industrial psychology, sociology, and clinical psychology. It explains the psychological meaning of the organization to the man and vice versa, an area so far almost untouched by psychological investigation in industry. It therefore provides the basis for better psychological understanding of morale and motivation studies, of leadership and training problems, of job evaluation and personnel selection, and of research on role performance. It also offers the clinical psychologist the possibility of access to a wide range of data, which, heretofore without a dynamic base and unrelated to the psychology of the individual, had little relevance for him.
Evidence is presented that (a) employees in an organization form global beliefs concerning the extent to which the organization values their contributions and cares about their well-being, (b) such perceived organizational support reduces absenteeism, and (c) the relation between perceived organizational support and absenteeism is greater for employees with a strong exchange ideology than those with a weak exchange ideology. These findings support the social exchange view that employees’ commitment to the organization is strongly influenced by their perception of the organization’s commitment to them. Perceived organizational support is assumed to increase the employee’s affective attachment to the organization and his or her expectancy that greater effort toward meeting organizational goals will be rewarded. The extent to which these factors increase work effort would depend on the strength of the employee’s exchange ideology favoring the trade of work effort for material and symbolic benefits.