Work, family and other life domains centrality among managers and workers according to gender

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine life domains centrality (work, family, leisure, community and religion) among workers, junior managers and middle managers, both men and women and the impact of demographic factors on those life domains. Design/methodology/approach The “Meaning of Work” questionnaire was conducted on 1,201 participants of whom 928, 453 men and 475 women, were employed in organizations in middle managerial, junior managerial and worker positions. Findings The findings indicate that work centrality increases while religion centrality decreases with higher organizational status among men and women. The centrality of family is higher among women than among men in the three organizational levels. However, in the new millennium, for the first time in Israel, no traditional gender differences were found in work centrality among employees in the three organizational levels. Practical implications Human resource professionals have to take into consideration the increasing work centrality among working women at all organizational levels and focus on decreasing work-family/life conflict, especially among women managers. This can be achieved by implementing flexible hours, working from home, work-life balance programs, and management by objectives systems. Originality/value This study, which compares middle managers, junior managers, and workers according to gender, reveals how they balance the five life domains as well as the strategies women managers use to cope with work/non-work conflict.