1. Objectifs

Intentions :
«The aim of this study [is] to test the vulnerability hypothesis to explain the inequality between women and men regarding psychological distress in a Canadian working sample. To do so, the family/work stressors and resources at play in women and men psychological distress [is] examined, and the magnitude of their direct and their indirect associations in both directions of work–family conflicts [are] compared to assess if the differences between women and men were significant.» (p. 83)

2. Méthode

Échantillon/Matériau :
«Data came from the SALVEO Study, which aimed at evaluating the contribution of work, family, individual characteristics and social networks to workers’ experience of mental health problems […].» (p. 78) Overall, 2026 workers (49% women) from the province of Quebec participated in this study.

Instruments :
Questionnaires

Type de traitement des données :
Analyse statistique

3. Résumé

Results show that «child-related problems were indirectly associated with higher psychological distress through FWC [work-family conflict] among working women only. The culture at work usually consists in preserving the working environment from familial problems, and the ideal worker should be entirely devoted to his/her work […]. Such partitioning of work and family may represent a difficult challenge particularly for women, who still perceive themselves and are perceived as primarily responsible for the family well-being […]. [Also], the independent and conflicting view of work and family roles among women may act as a central catalyst of stress. When problems with children interfere with work, women may feel torn between their work and family duties. Some may feel a widening gap between their career aspirations and the reality. Others may feel guilty of neglecting work, a feeling that may be enhanced by their working environment […]. Gender may also operate at the structural level by biasing performance expectation and evaluation to men’s benefit, suggesting that men are more competent at work even when their performance for the same task is equal to that of women […]. In this context, women may have to juggle with the complex challenge of fulfilling their family responsibilities and matching the biased stereotype of the ideal worker, which may contribute to their psychological distress.» (p. 83)