Today’s global workforce is rife with dual-earner couples. For dual-earner couples, finding a suitable balance between work and living is often difficult, creating a need for organizations globally to be aware of the similarities and dissimilarities that exist for dual-earner couples around the world. This article identifies the work–life issues of dual-earner couples and organizational practices in both the United States and India in an effort to help organizations effectively manage work–life policies affecting the gender role dynamics of today’s multicultural organizations.
The Solution
This article identifies themes within the work–life literature for dual-earner couples in India and the United States in an effort to inform human resource development (HRD) scholars and practitioners about the current state and work–life needs of dual-earner couples in both countries. It would be beneficial for HRD professionals to understand and appreciate better workplace demographics in terms of social, cultural, and legal requirements in the two countries to encourage the creation and implementation of work–life friendly policies and environments.
The Stakeholders
This research benefits HRD practitioners and scholars, employers, public policy officials, and dual-earner couples employed in the United States and India. It opens the door to a better understanding of the transferability of current research to practice.
AryeeS.SrinivasE. S.TanH. H. (2005). Rhythms of life: Antecedents and outcomes of work-family balance in employed parents. Journal of Applied Psychology, 90, 132-146. doi:10.1037/0021-9010.90.1.132
2.
BaileyA. J.BlakeM. K.CookeT. J. (2004). Migration, care and the linked lives of dual-earner households. Environment and Planning, 36, 1617-1632.
3.
BaralR.BhargavaS. (2011). HR interventions for work-life balance: Evidences from organizations in India. International Journal of Business, Management and Social Sciences, 2, 33-42.
4.
BarnettR. C. (1999). A new work-life model for the twenty-first century. Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 562, 143-158. doi:10.1177/000271629956200110
5.
BattR.ValcourP. M. (2003). Human resources practices as predictors of work-family outcomes and employee turnover. Industrial Relations: A Journal of Economy and Society, 42, 189-220. doi:10.1111/1468-232X.00287
6.
BergP.KallebergA. L.AppelbaumE. (2003). Balancing work and family: The role of high-commitment environments. Industrial Relations, 42, 168-188. doi:10.1111/1468-232X.00286
7.
BharatS. (2003). Women, work, and family in urban India: Towards new families? In BerryJ. W.MishraR. C.TripathiR. C. (Eds.), Psychology in human and social development: Lessons from diverse cultures (pp. 155-169). New Delhi, India: SAGE.
8.
BhatnagarD.RajadhyakshaU. (2001). Attitudes towards work and family roles and their implications for career growth of women: A report from India. Sex Roles, 45, 549-565. doi:10.1023/A:1014814931671
9.
BieremaL. L. (2009). Critiquing human resource development’s dominant masculine rationality and evaluating its impact. Human Resource Development Review, 8, 68-96. doi:10.1177/1534484308330020
ButlerA.GrzywaczJ.BassB.LinneyK. (2005). Extending the demands-control model: A daily diary study of job characteristics, work-family conflict and work-family facilitation. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 78, 155-169. doi:10.1348/096317905X40097
12.
ChesleyN. (2005). Blurring boundaries? Linking technology use, spillover, individual distress, and family satisfaction. Journal of Marriage and Family, 67, 1237-1248.
13.
DeeryM. (2008). Talent management, work-life balance and retention strategies. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 20, 792-806. doi:10.1111/j.1741-3737.2005.00213
14.
EbyL. T.CasperW. J.LockwoodA.BordeauxC.BrinleyA. (2005). Work and family research in IO/OB: Content analysis and review of the literature (1980-2002). Journal of Vocational Behavior, 66, 124-197. doi:10.1016/j.jvb.2003.11.003
15.
EdlundJ. (2007). The work–family time squeeze: Conflicting demands of paid and unpaid work among working couples in 29 countries. International Journal of Comparative Sociology, 48, 451-480. doi:10.1177/0020715207083338
16.
GelfandM. J.KnightA. P. (2005). Cross-cultural perspectives on work-family conflict. In PoelmansS. A. Y. (Ed.), Work and family: An international research perspective (pp. 401-415). London, England: Lawrence Erlbaum.
17.
GrandeyA.CordeiroB.CrouterA. (2005). A longitudinal and multi-source test of the work–family conflict and job satisfaction relationship. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 78, 305-323. doi:10.1348/096317905X26769
18.
GreerT. W.EganT. M. (2012). Inspecting the hierarchy of life roles a systematic review of role salience literature. Human Resource Development Review, 11, 463-499. doi:10.1177/1534484312445322
19.
HaddockS. A.BowlingS. W. (2002). Therapists’ approaches to the normative challenges of dual-earner couples: Negotiating outdated societal ideologies. Journal of Feminist Family Therapy, 13(2-3), 91-120. doi:10.1300/J086v13n02_06
20.
HaddockS. A.RattenborgK. (2003). Benefits and challenges of dual-earning: Perspectives of successful couples. The American Journal of Family Therapy, 31, 325-344. doi:10.1080/01926180390223978
21.
HaddockS. A.ZimmermanT. S.CurrentL. R.HarveyA. (2003). The parenting practices of dual-earner couples who successfully balance family and work. Journal of Feminist Family Therapy, 14(3-4), 37-55. doi:10.1300/J086v14n03_03
22.
HaddockS. A.ZimmermanT. S.LynessK. P.ZiembaS. J. (2006). Practices of dual-earner couples successfully balancing work and family. Journal of Family and Economic Issues, 27, 207-234. doi:10.1007/s10834-006-9014-y
23.
HaddockS. A.ZimmermanT. S.ZiembaS. J.CurentL. R. (2001). Ten adaptive strategies for family and work balance: Advice from successful families. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 27, 445-458.
24.
HillE. J.MeadN. T.DeanL. R.HafenD. M.GaddR.PalmerA. A.FerrisM. S. (2006). Researching the 60-hour dual-earner workweek an alternative to the “opt-out revolution.”American Behavioral Scientist, 49, 1184-1203. doi:10.1177/0002764206286385
25.
HillE. J.YangC.HawkinsA. J.FerrisM. (2004). A cross-cultural test of the work–family interface in 48 countries. Journal of Marriage and Family, 66, 1300-1316. doi:10.1111/j.0022-2445.2004.00094
26.
HochschildA. R. (1989). The second shift. New York, NY: Avon Books.
27.
HornsbyE. E.MunnS. L. (2009). University work–life benefits and same-sex couples. Advances in Developing Human Resources, 11(1), 67-81.
28.
HuangY. H.HammerL. B.NealM. B.PerrinN. A. (2004). The relationship between work-to-family conflict and family-to-work conflict: A longitudinal study. Journal of Family and Economic Issues, 25, 79-100. doi:10.1023/B:JEEI.0000016724.76936.a1
29.
JoS. J.JeungC. W.ParkS.YoonH. J. (2009). Who is citing whom: Citation network analysis among HRD publications from 1990 to 2007. Human Resource Development Quarterly, 20, 503-537. doi:10.1002/hrdq.20023
30.
JyothiP.NeelakantanS. (2014). Quality of work life and academic dual-career couples. Journal of Business and Management (IOSR-JBM), 16(1), 62-66.
31.
KalliathP.KalliathT.SinghV. (2011). When work intersects family: A qualitative exploration of the experiences of dual-earner couples in India. South Asian Journal of Management, 18, 37-59. doi:10.1080/02650533.2013.828278
32.
KanterR. M. (1977). Work and family in the United States: A critical review and agenda for research and policy. New York, NY: Russell Sage Foundation.
33.
KaurG.KumarR. (2014). Organisational work pressure rings a “time-out” alarm for children: A dual-career couple’s study. Asian Journal of Management Research, 4, 583-596.
34.
LaneF. C.GibbsS. (2014). Propensity score analysis: A secondary data analysis of work–life policy and performance outcomes. Advances in Developing Human Resources, 17, 102-116.
35.
LeeY. S.WaiteL. J. (2005). Husbands’ and wives’ time spent on housework: A comparison of measures. Journal of Marriage and Family, 67, 328-336. doi:10.1111/j.0022-2445.2005.00119.x
36.
LewisS.GamblesR.RapoportR. (2007). The constraints of a work-life balance approach: An international perspective. International Journal of Human Resources Management, 18, 360-373. doi:10.1080/09585190601165577
37.
LincolnJ. R.KallebergA. L. (1990). Culture, control and commitment: A study of work organization and work orientations in the United States and Japan. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
38.
MajhiG.PandaB. (2014). Work-life balance of Indian dual earner family: An investigation. International Journal of Advances in Arts, Sciences, and Engineering, 2(4), 68-81.
39.
MatthewsR. A.Del PrioreR. E.AcitelliL. K.Barnes-FarrellJ. L. (2006). Work-to-relationship conflict: Crossover effects in dual-earner couples. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 11, 228-240. doi:10.1037/1076-8998.11.3.228
40.
MayrP.WalterA. K. (2008). Studying journal coverage in Google Scholar. Journal of Library Administration, 47, 81-99. doi:10.1080/01930820802110894
41.
McMillanH. S.MorrisM. L. (2012). Examining the relationship between work/life conflict and life satisfaction in executives: The importance of problem-solving coping interventions and HRD. Advances in Developing Human Resources, 14, 640-663. doi:10.1177/1523422312455626
42.
McMillanH. S.MorrisM. L.AtchleyE. K. (2011). Constructs of the work/life interface: A synthesis of the literature and introduction of the concept of work/life harmony. Human Resource Development Review, 10, 6-25. doi:10.1177/1534484310384958
43.
MooreF. (2007). Work-life balance: Contrasting managers and workers in an MNC. Employee Relations, 29, 385-399. doi:10.1108/01425450710759217
44.
MorrisM. L.MadsenS. R. (2007). Issue overview: Advancing work-life interaction in individuals, organizations and communities. Advances in Developing Human Resources, 9, 439-454. doi:10.1177/1523422307305486
45.
MunnS. L. (2013). Unveiling the work–life system the influence of work–life balance on meaningful work. Advances in Developing Human Resources, 15, 401-417. doi:10.1177/1523422313498567
46.
MunnS. L.LeeH.-Y. (2014). Work–life balance. In PoellR. F.RoccoT.RothG. (Eds.), Routledge companion to human resource development (pp. 552-561). New York, NY: Routledge.
47.
OfferS.SchneiderB. (2011). Revisiting the gender gap in time-use patterns multitasking and well-being among mothers and fathers in dual-earner families. American Sociological Review, 76, 809-833. doi:10.1177/0003122411425170
48.
OzbilginM. F.BeauregardA. T.TatliA.BellM. P. (2011). Work-life, diversity and intersectionality: A critical review and research agenda. International Journal of Management Reviews, 13, 177-198. doi:10.1111/j.1468-2370.2010.00291.x
49.
PedersenD. E.MinnotteK. L.KigerG.MannonS. E. (2009). Workplace policy and environment, family role quality, and positive family-to-work spillover. Journal of Family and Economic Issues, 30, 80-89. doi:10.1007/s10834-008-9140-9
50.
Pitt-CatsouphesM.GooginsB. K. (2005). Recasting the work-family agenda as a corporate social responsibility. In KossekE. E.LambertS. J. (Eds.), Work and life integration: Organizational, cultural, and individual perspectives (pp. 469-490). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
51.
PolachJ. (2003). HRD’s role in work-life integration issues: Moving the workforce to a change in mindset. Human Resource Development International, 6, 57-68. doi:10.1080/13678860110065936
52.
PosterW. R.PrasadS. (2005). Work–family relations in transnational perspective: A view from high-tech firms in India and the United States. Social Problems, 52, 122-146. doi:10.1525/sp.2005.52.1.122
53.
RajadhyakshaU. (2012). Work–life balance in South East Asia: The Indian experience. South Asian Journal of Global Business Research, 1, 108-127. doi:10.1108/20454451211207615
54.
RajadhyakshaU.BhatnagarD. (2000). Life role salience: A study of dual-career couples in the Indian context. Human Relations, 53, 489-511. doi:10.1177/0018726700534002
55.
RamadossK.RajadhyakshaU. (2012). Gender differences in commitment to roles, work-family conflict and social support. Journal of Social Science, 33, 227-233.
56.
RoccoT.SteinD.LeeC. (2003). An exploratory examination of the literature on age and HRD policy development. Human Resource Development Review, 2, 155-180. doi:10.1177/1534484303002002004
57.
SweetS.SwisherR.MoenP. (2005). Selecting and assessing the family-friendly community: Adaptive strategies of middle-class, dual-earner couples. Family Relations, 54, 596-606. doi:10.1111/j.1741-3729.2005.00344.x
58.
ValcourM. (2007). Work-based resources as moderators of the relationship between work hours and satisfaction with work-family balance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 92, 1512-1523. doi:10.1037/0021-9010.92.6.1512
59.
VoydanoffP. (2005). Work demands and work-to-family and family-to-work conflict direct and indirect relationships. Journal of Family Issues, 26, 707-726. doi:10.1177/0192513X05277516
60.
WaltersW. H. (2009). Google Scholar search performance: Comparative recall and precision. Portal: Libraries and the Academy, 9, 5-24.
61.
WorkmanM.BommerW. (2004). Redesigning computer call center work: A longitudinal field experiment. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 25, 317-337.
62.
WorkmanM.BommerW. (2004). Redesigning computer call center work: A longitudinal field experiment. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 25, 317-337. doi:10.1002/job.247
63.
ZimmermanT. S. (2003). Intimate partnership: Foundation to the successful balance of family and work. American Journal of Family Therapy, 31, 107-124. doi:10.1080/01926180301126
