This qualitative study explored the experience of 32 traditional college freshmen women as they sought to choose a career with the idea of balancing career and family in the future. A traditional woman was defined as a woman whose central value system and cultural mores emphasize homemaking and childrearing as their primary role. Guided interviews were conducted to obtain in-depth descriptions of participants' experience. The interviews were transcribed and interpreted using a synthesis of qualitative methods based on Kvale's method. The six themes were as follows: 1. The concept of balancing careers and family life is not being discussed or addressed. 2. Participants saw their mothers' influence as the most significant in helping them come to their present decision about career and motherhood. 3. Education and a career are viewed as separate entities. 4. Participants reported experiencing both guilt and ambivalence over wanting both a career and a family. 5. Participants saw career and motherhood as mutually exclusive. 6. Participants thought of their ideas as being mainstream whether they wanted to work or stay at home while raising a family. The findings suggested that much more needs to be done in terms of encouraging discussion and providing forums for further exploration, to help resolve some of the ambivalence and confusion traditional women experience in trying to balance family and career.

Using a sample of married individuals employed full-time (N = 1,139), this study examined the mediating effects of constructive and destructive communication between partners on the relationship between work-family conflict and marital satisfaction. Results from structural equation modeling revealed that work-family conflict was significantly and negatively related to marital satisfaction. This relationship became insignificant when constructive and destructive communication were added to the model, evidence for full mediation. This was confirmed with Sobel's test for mediation. Results suggest that teaching communication skills may be a potent point of intervention for couples who experience high levels of work-family conflict.

Women's participation in the labor force has increased in Singapore in the recent years. Research has suggested that women's attempt to relate their traditional roles as wife and mother with the expectations of their modern role as a paid employee may have an impact on their mental health. Data from a cross-sectional national probability sample of 284 employed mothers in Singapore were used to investigate the relationships between work hours, marital satisfaction, child relationship satisfaction, work-family harmony, and mental health. Based on the results of the Structural Equation Model, mothers who worked long hours experienced more positive mental health. This is perhaps attributable to paid work being considered as a means by which women can contribute to the family's welfare and well-being, instead of competing with one's finite resources. Results of the mediation analysis suggested that marital satisfaction had a positive, albeit small, effect on mental health through work-family harmony. This renders support to the family stress model theory, suggesting that for Asian women who actively participate in the work force, family relationships play an important role on their work-life experience, which ultimately has a significant impact on their mental health. Recognizing the unique cultural meanings Asian societies ascribe to work and family can facilitate a better understanding of Asian women's work-family experience.

Syftet med studien var att undersöka om tillfredsställelse med skiftarbete påverkade work-life balance hos medarbetare inom industri- och sjukvårdssektorn, samt om det fanns skillnader i tillfredsställelse med skiftarbete och work-life balance mellan industrin och sjukvården. Vidare undersöktes om ålder, kön eller hemmaboende barn hade någon betydelse. Resultatet visade att tillfredsställelse med skiftarbete kan predicera work-life balance utifrån work-family conflict samt family-work conflict, och att arbetet inkräktar mer på privatlivet än vice versa, detta gäller båda tjänstesektorerna. Ålder hade viss påverkan på upplevelsen av att arbetet inkräktade på privatlivet. Resultatet belyser riskområden relevanta för att uppnå en god work-life balance.

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Forty percent of employed parents report that they experience work-family conflict (Galinsky, Bond, & Friedman, 1993). Work-family conflict (WFC) exists when role pressures from the work and family domains are mutually incompatible. WFC is associated with decreases in family, job, and life satisfaction and physical health; intention to quit one's job; and increases in workplace absenteeism. Women may be more impacted by WFC than men, as women report completing 65-80% of the child care (Sayer, 2001) and spend 80 hours per week fulfilling work and home responsibilities (Cowan, 1983). Research suggests that WFC can be reduced with social support, such as co-workers providing assistance when family interferes with work (Carlson & Perrewe, 1999). It is unclear whether parents 'get a break' or are penalized by co-workers. The purpose of the present study was to examine co-workers' reactions to individuals who experience WFC. Based on sex role theory and attribution theory, it was predicted that women, people who experience family interference with work, and those who have more control over the work interference would be helped less and evaluated more poorly on a team task than men, people who experience non-family related work interference, and those who have less control over the work interference. A laboratory experiment was conducted in which participants signed up for a team-based study. The teammate was a confederate who was late for the study. Teammate control over the tardiness (unexpected physician's visit versus forgotten physician's appointment), type of work conflict (self- versus family-related), and gender of the teammate were manipulated. After learning about the reasons for the tardiness of their teammate, the 218 participants (63% female; 59% Caucasian) decided whether to help the late teammate by completing a word sort task for them or letting the late teammate make up the work after the experiment. When the teammate arrived, the participants completed a team task and then evaluated the task performance of their teammate. None of the hypotheses were confirmed in this study. However, exploratory analyses showed that people who had more control over the tardiness were rated lower than people who had less control over the tardiness. Contrary to expectations, exploratory analyses also showed that men rated women who were late to the study for a family-related reason higher than women who were late due to a self-related reason. These findings suggest that male co-workers may give women a break when they experience family interference with work. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.

Introduction: Technology has enabled remote work that is not location bound. Remote work is often performed by knowledge workers who focus on problemsolving and distributing information. New ways of working create a need for new information about the relationship between work and occupational balance. Aim:The aim of this study was to examine remote work´s impact on knowledge worker´s occupational balance from the perspectives of work-life balance and work-life conflict. Method: Method used was scoping review. Data were gathered with the help of electronic data bases. Results: Nine research papers and two Bachelor´s theses were analyzed for the study. Through content analysis the following categories were formed: How gender differences impact occupational balance, Environment in relation to balance, Type of work in relation to occupational balance, How family affects occupational balance and Means to maintain occupational balance. Conclusions: The findings indicate that remote work influences knowledge worker´s occupational balance. Family, type of work, environment, and gender affect the way balance is perceived. Worker and employer collaboration is important in maintaining occupational balance. Significance: As occupational balance may affect work efficiency and wellbeing positively; more research on both remote work and knowledge work should be performed

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