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Making Up for Lost Time: When and How Time-Based Work-to-Family Conflict Motivates Parenting

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Kimberly A. French at Colorado State University
Kimberly A. French
Songqi Liu at Georgia State University
Songqi Liu
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Although previous research shows work-to-family conflict detracts from parenting time, extant literature offers little theoretical guidance or empirical data regarding when or why parents make up for time deficits created by work-to-family conflict. This study draws on action-regulation theory to examine when and under what conditions parents are motivated to compensate for time-based work-to-family conflict events. Two experimental vignette studies show that parents sequence their work-family responsibilities, and that sequencing is underpinned by motivation to compensate for family time deficit. On days when work-to-family conflict occurs, parents feel less obligated to interact with their adolescent children on that same day, but more obligated to interact with their adolescent children the following day, as compared to days with no work-to-family conflict. Further, we find evidence that future compensation efforts are largely explained by the motivating emotion of guilt. Study 2 findings further suggest that when partners contribute a higher portion of childcare labor, work-to-family conflict is less strongly tied to cognitive (perceptions of family goal attainment) and emotional (guilt) motivational states. Overall, our study reveals work-to-family conflict is but one experience in the motivational ebb and flow of managing goals to succeed at work and as a parent, and that couple-level norms can alter parent reactions to work-to-family conflict events.
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Vol.:(0123456789)
Occupational Health Science
https://doi.org/10.1007/s41542-024-00211-0
MAJOR EMPIRICAL CONTRIBUTION
Making Up forLost Time: When andHow Time‑Based
Work‑to‑Family Conflict Motivates Parenting
KimberlyA.French1 · SongqiLiu2
Received: 12 December 2023 / Revised: 3 September 2024 / Accepted: 16 September 2024
© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2024
Abstract
Although previous research shows work-to-family conflict detracts from parenting
time, extant literature offers little theoretical guidance or empirical data regarding
when or why parents make up for time deficits created by work-to-family conflict.
This study draws on action-regulation theory to examine when and under what con-
ditions parents are motivated to compensate for time-based work-to-family conflict
events. Two experimental vignette studies show that parents sequence their work-
family responsibilities, and that sequencing is underpinned by motivation to com-
pensate for family time deficit. On days when work-to-family conflict occurs, par-
ents feel less obligated to interact with their adolescent children on that same day,
but more obligated to interact with their adolescent children the following day, as
compared to days with no work-to-family conflict. Further, we find evidence that
future compensation efforts are largely explained by the motivating emotion of guilt.
Study 2 findings further suggest that when partners contribute a higher portion of
childcare labor, work-to-family conflict is less strongly tied to cognitive (perceptions
of family goal attainment) and emotional (guilt) motivational states. Overall, our
study reveals work-to-family conflict is but one experience in the motivational ebb
and flow of managing goals to succeed at work and as a parent, and that couple-level
norms can alter parent reactions to work-to-family conflict events.
Keywords Work-family conflict· Parent–child activities· Goal sequencing· Action-
regulation· Guilt
Work is a major life domain that influences parenting practices (e.g., Barling &
Mendelson, 1999; Belsky, 1984; Cho & Ciancetta, 2016). One of the most common
* Kimberly A. French
KFrench0429@gmail.com
1 Department ofPsychology, Colorado State University, FortCollins, CO, USA
2 J. Mack Robinson College ofBusiness, Georgia State University, College ofBusiness, 35 Broad
St. NW, Atlanta, GA30303, USA
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