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Work-family conflict, negative emotional symptoms and family satisfaction in women with paid work during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract:

Introduction: During the COVID-19 pandemic, containment measures implemented worldwide have transformed family life and women’s way of working, deepening pre-existing inequalities both at work and in the family. Method: Structural Equations were used to explore the relationships between work-family conflict, negative emotional symptoms and family satisfaction in women from dual-income families. Questionnaires were administered to 430 women with paid work with at least one adolescent child in Rancagua, Chile, who responded to the work-to-family conflict and family-to-work conflict dimensions of the Work-Family Interface Scale; the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21); and the Satisfaction with Family Life Scale. Results: The work-family conflict, in both directions, was positively associated with negative emotional symptoms, which, in turn, were negatively related to family satisfaction. Family-to-work conflict was directly negatively related to family satisfaction, while negative emotional symptoms showed a mediating role between work-family conflict and family satisfaction. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that, to improve family satisfaction in crisis situations, interventions are needed to mitigate work and family demands, as well as to ameliorate negative emotions such as depression, anxiety and stress in women with paid work.