Work–Family Culture in Low-Income Environments

Abstract

The current study examined whether a work–family culture measure can be used across diverse income groups. We compared measure structure and criterion-related validity for low-income (n = 327) and high-income (n = 400) samples. Differences in measurement structure between the two groups were examined using measurement invariance, and differences in prediction were examined using multiple regression. Results indicate work-family culture facets are not equivalent across groups, and some relationships are weaker for low-income workers compared to high-income workers. Findings suggest that research using work–family culture measures developed on high-income populations may not generalize to low-income populations. New or revised measures are needed. This study contributes to our understanding of work–family measurement, work–family culture in low-income contexts, and the generalizability of measures and results using high-income samples to lower income counterparts. The results have clear implications for questioning equivalence of commonly used measures across income levels.