Consequences of Work-to-Family Conflicts for Parental Self-Efficacy—The Impact of Gender and Cultural Background in Germany

Abstract

The central theoretical assumption is that work-to-family conflicts are having a direct impact on parental self-efficacy, and thus, play an important role within the parent-child relationship. This study examines relationships between work-family conflicts and parental self-efficacy, taking into account two potential moderators: gender and cultural differences between East and West Germany. We analyze data on 1746 employed mothers and fathers from three waves of the Pairfam study (2013, 2015, 2017), using cross-lagged panel models. The findings suggest that gender and cultural background moderate the relationship between work-family conflicts and parental self-efficacy, provided that the risk of reverse causality bias is not ignored. The findings show that work-to-family conflicts are associated with lower levels of parental self-efficacy for women, especially in West Germany. Future research can serve to illustrate how relationships between work-to-family conflicts and parental self-efficacy affect children’s well-being and parent-child relationships.