Organizational Support and Partner Satisfaction: The Roles of Stress and Support among Diverse Working Parents

• In Event: 41021 - Student Forum Refereed Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (90 minute): Roundtable 9: Global Family Dynamics

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately affected families, particularly racial and ethnic minorities (Fegert et al., 2020). Lower organizational support during remote work transitions was linked to higher stress (Kalantzis, 2023), which, in turn, was associated with lower partner satisfaction (Conger et al., 2010). Social resources like community support for child-rearing can buffer stress (Prime et al., 2020), but access is often limited for minority families during crises (Katikireddi et al., 2021). While these disparities are frequently attributed to low-income status (Pattillo, 2005), less is known about their persistence among middle-income families.
This study examines work-from-home parents in well-paying jobs, using the Family Stress Model (FSM; Conger et al., 2010) and the family risk and resilience framework (Prime et al., 2020). We explore (a) parental stress as a mediator between organizational support and partner satisfaction, (b) community support for child-rearing as a stress buffer, and (c) racial/ethnic differences in these moderated mediation effects.
Data from 333 U.S. parents (125 females, 206 males, 2 non-binary) were collected at three timepoints (September 2021, January 2022, and May 2022). The sample included 101 Black, 51 Hispanic, and 181 non-Hispanic white individuals. Multigroup analyses confirmed the mediating role of parental stress, with higher organizational support predicting lower stress and, ultimately, greater partner satisfaction. However, community support for child-rearing moderated this link only for Black parents—when support was low, stress had a stronger negative effect on partner satisfaction.
Findings highlight the importance of workplace support in mitigating parental stress and promoting partner satisfaction. The racial differences in buffering effects suggest Black parents may rely more on community support for child-rearing. Policymakers and organizations should address workplace inequities beyond job quality, recognizing organizational support as an investment in employee well-being.

Authors

• Iris Yili Wang, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

• Karen Z. Kramer, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

• Ha Young Choi