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Exploring the dynamics of women’s employment transitions, work-family conflict, and child behavioural problems: a comparative study

Year: 2025
Type: dissertation
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: This PhD dissertation is devoted to women’s transitions in the labour market and the influence of work-family conflict and parental self-efficacy on children’s behaviour. Although women often modify their paid employment to meet family obligations, they continue to take on the majority of unpaid domestic and childcare tasks, while men tend to focus more on their paid jobs. Additionally, stress from work and rigid schedules can interfere with family time, leading to fewer opportunities for shared activities, increasing strain on family dynamics, and contributing to behavioral issues in children. This thesis focuses on the issue of gender equality in both the labor market and family life. It explores the influence of motherhood on women's transitions within the workforce, examines how work-family conflict and parental self-efficacy alter parenting approaches, and investigates the subsequent effects of these changes on children's externalizing issues. The thesis is composed of three articles. The first article explores the factors that influence the probability that women employed full-time will go part-time or withdraw from paid work (i.e., become inactive). The results show that, apart from the transition to motherhood, the factors that influence women’s participation in the labour market are traditional gender ideology and lack of state support. The second paper explores the impact of work-family conflict (WFC) and parental irritability on children's externalizing problems in various family structures in Australia. The findings show that for mothers from two-parent families, work-family conflict is a predictor of children's externalizing problems throughout their childhood and adolescence. However, for fathers from two-parent families and sole mothers, there is no such association. Moreover, while the association between paternal irritability and children's externalizing problems exists for all groups of parents, it is stronger for mothers than for fathers. The third paper investigates the impact of parental self-efficacy (PSE) and warm parenting on children's externalizing problems in two-parent families in Australia. The findings show that parental self-efficacy with a newborn is a strong predictor of warm parenting at the child’s age of 6, with the association being stronger for mothers than for fathers. Marital satisfaction increases warm parenting, more so for fathers. While the association between warm parenting and children's externalizing problems exists for all parents, it is stronger for mothers than for fathers. These articles highlight the potential negative outcomes for mothers and children in an adverse context of weak family policies and the persistence of traditional gender values in couples. The thesis makes a potential contribution to the field of family sociology and the examination of gender disparities through a comparative analysis. It utilizes panel data from families with various structures, enabling the observation of changes in individual characteristics over time.
Language: English
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7126780424
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