How Work and Family Roles and Perceived Work Appreciation Influence Women’s Health and Happiness

• In Event: 381 - Section on the Sociology of the Family Refereed Roundtable Session and Business Meeting
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: Table 09. Work and Family: Session I

Abstract

Scholars continue to explore the causes and consequences of work and family stress across various types of work and families. Many farm women have experiences similar to their non-farm counterparts like participating in off-farm paid employment and coming home to a second shift of housework and childcare. In addition, many farm women have a work role in the family farming enterprise. Role conflict and overload within their hours worked in on-farm, off-farm, and household/childcare labor may culminate into “triple burden” of work roles. Using a sample of farm women, this study examines how absolute and relative amounts of work in various work and family roles and perceived role appreciation affect women’s levels of health, psychological distress, or marital happiness. Women who perform more work hours or split hours over multiple roles do not have worse outcomes. Also, women who perform the majority of the couple’s work hours in each role and majority of work hours in multiple roles do not have differing outcomes compared to women who do not do the majority of work hours in these roles. But women who feel more appreciated for their work and family roles have better health and happiness outcomes. Therefore, it is not necessarily the work itself that can be burdensome to farm women, but the meaning of their work via appreciation that impacts their lives. Women in all family types may benefit from receiving more appreciation for the varied types of work they do from family members and important others.

Author

• Alexis Swendener, University of Nebraska-Lincoln