How do single parents attribute

Abstract

Despite higher work-life conflict (WLC) amongst women (Bakker & Karsten, 2013; Minnotte, 2013), work-to-family conflict (WFC) and family-to-work conflict (FWC) experienced by single mothers receives less attention than dual earner couples but more than single fathers (Gatrell, 2001; 2005). This paper presents a review of key concepts, drawn from a variety of WFC debates allowing us to understand how the under-researched single parent attributes meaning to, self-actualises, copes with and facilitates decision-making around daily time specific WFC episodes within the family domain. The paper acknowledges that previous WFC studies examine inter-role effects and levels of influence between work and family-life although time-specific episodic WFC experiences are concealed. A comprehensive understanding of the nature in which work facilitates time specific WFC episodes or events within the family domain of the single parent is also lacking. A new framework is suggested in examining the WFC experiences of the single parent. Future single parent studies underpinning WFC may consider the complex distinctive nature in which work is conceptualised perhaps single mothers and single fathers distinguishing the coping strategies and decision-making criteria underpinning their daily-time specific episodic WFC experiences. Our conceptualisation of the daily time specific nature of WFC perhaps suggests that we revisit our understanding of the implications that single parents present for the workplace. The use of an innovative mixed methods qualitative approach is suggested using qualitative dairies, photo elicitation and convergent interviews to capture rich, in depth and time specific interpretations of the daily episodes of single parents. Extant studies on WFC adopt quantitative methodologies while the use of qualitative methods remains under-developed.