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Uco J. Wiersma(1,2)
The purpose of this study was to catalogue specific behavioral strategies used by dual-career couples to solve work-home role conflicts in each of seven broad areas: domestic chores, maintaining social relations, role cycling, job relocations, sex-role socialization, social pressure, and direct competition between spouses. Twenty-four men and women from dual-career families were interviewed using the critical incident method. Results show that six of the seven dimensions could be supported empirically with behaviorally defined solutions; the exception being sex-role socialization. Differences between the results of this study and those of previous studies which have investigated coping behaviors are discussed, and suggestions are offered as to how the findings may be of help to practitioners.
KEY WORDS: role conflicts; coping behavior; dual careers; sex roles; role perception; working women; family relations; personnel; adulthood.
INTRODUCTION
Despite the continuing increase in female labor force participation, and the proliferation of publications about the nature and correlates of work-home role conflict in dual-career families (Gilbert & Rachlin, 1987; Greenhaus & Beutell, 1985; O'Neil, Fishman, & Kinsella-Shaw, 1987; Rapoport & Rapoport, 1976; Sekaran, 1986), there is comparatively less information about how such families cope.
In a seminal study of coping with work-home role conflict, Hall (1972) surveyed women and developed a model in which coping behaviors are classified into Type I--influencing the role environment by changing expectations of others, or by hiring outside help, Type II--changing one's own attitudes to reduce the conflict by prioritizing activities or by lowering one's standards, and Type III--trying to meet the expectations of others by working harder. Although the Type I coping style was hypothesized to be most satisfying, results showed that how one coped was less important than the simple fact that one was at least attempting to cope.
In a more recent study, Amatea and Fong-Beyette (1987) surveyed professional women and classified women's inter-role coping efforts into a 2 x 2 matrix of emotion vs. problem focused, by active vs. passive strategies. The active/emotion square includes coping strategies such as seeing the positive side of a problem, talking with friends, and exercising; the passive/emotion square includes psychological mechanisms such as denial, suppression, and displacement; the active/problem square includes prioritizing activities, hiring outside help, and negotiating with others; and the passive/problem square...