職家衝突的類型分析與樣貌之探究

Types and Characteristics of Work-Family Conflict in Taiwan: A Latent Profile Analysis

本研究目的在探究雙向職家衝突的異質性分組與特性，並比較各組別在幸福感與各種滿意度的差異。資料來源為中研院調查中心的臺灣家庭動態調查資料庫2020年的資料。分析樣本由受訪者篩選出受薪工作者4,477人再隨機抽取20%，共有842人（男470人、女372人）。採取潛在剖面分析探討職家衝突與性別意識形態所形成的潛在組別，並比較各組之間背景變項差異與各種滿意度、幸福感及正負向情感等心理適應。結果顯示可區分出四組，分別為自在組、中間組、反差組、高壓組，展現出衝突壓力感受與家庭兩性價值觀並非線性同步的關係，而是存在各自獨特的樣貌。多數人屬於自在與中間組，雙向衝突低且心理適應佳。相對地，約占10%的高壓組則是雙向衝突均高且心理適應較差，另外僅占5%的反差組雖然婚育負擔低且兩性平等價值高，但是對工作滿意度與幸福感卻仍較低，顯示在職家衝突中此二組的心理歷程仍值得深入探究。

 

Background and Purpose

In traditional Taiwanese families, couples have typically followed a role division based on the principle that ""men work outside and women manage the household."" However, rising economic demands and the widespread promotion of gender equality have gradually shifted this traditional division of labor. In dual-career families, parents juggle professional responsibilities and parenting, often experiencing heightened stress when work–family conflicts occur.

Research on work-family conflict (WFC) has consistently underscored the significance of gender roles. Nevertheless, with the growing influence of gender equality ideologies, a shift in focus has emerged, emphasizing gender role ideology over biological sex. Therefore, the present study incorporates traditional and egalitarian gender role ideologies as measures and conducts statistical analyses in conjunction with WFC.

This study specifically aimed to identify the types of WFC in Taiwan and investigate the heterogeneity of bidirectional WFC by uncovering distinct latent groups. Moreover, it examined variations in job satisfaction, wellbeing, and psychological adaptation across these groups.

Methods

Data were obtained from the 2020 Taiwan Panel Study of Family Dynamics Survey. The sample comprised 842 salaried employees (470 men and 372 women) randomly selected from an initial pool of 4,477 respondents. This study utilized Latent Profile Analysis (LPA), a statistical method suitable for analyzing continuous variables and categorizing them into latent and categorical groups. This technique provides an effective framework for identifying and visualizing each subgroup’s heterogeneity and unique attributes. Specifically, this study applies LPA to investigate latent groups shaped by WFC and gender ideologies. These groups were analyzed to identify differences in various background characteristics (such as gender, age, marital status, number of children, working hours, salary, and social support), as well as outcomes such as job satisfaction, well-being, and psychological adaptation (encompassing both positive and negative affect).

Result

The findings revealed four distinct groups: comfortable, moderate, contrast, and high-stress. These classifications suggest that the relationship between perceived WFC stress and gender role attitudes is not strictly linear but exhibits distinct types across individuals. Most participants belonged to the comfortable and moderate groups, which were characterized by lower bidirectional conflict and better psychological adaptation. Conversely, approximately 10% of the participants belonged to the high-stress group, which experienced high levels of WFC and poor psychological adaptation. Furthermore, the control group, which comprised only 5% of the sample, exhibited low marital and parental burdens and strong gender equality values; however, they reported lower job satisfaction and well-being. This suggests that the psychological processes underlying WFC in these two groups warrant further investigation. Overall, the psychological adaptation processes of these two groups in WFC are worthy of further exploration.

Conclusions

This study supports the gender ideology perspective. It indicates that the key factors contributing to bidirectional WFC are physical stress associated with work hours, marital life, and parenting responsibilities, including the psychological stress deeply rooted in familial gender ideologies. Furthermore, individuals in high-stress conditions commonly lack support from both workplace and home environments. Career counseling needs to pay more attention to valuing belief conflicts, physical and mental stress, and the psychological adaptation of these two groups. Organizations can continue to assist the high-stress and contrast groups through employee assistance programs and encourage individuals needing psychological counseling and guidance.