Perceived Organizational Support, Work Family Conflict, Subjective Happiness and Child Parent Relationship among Working Fathers and Mothers: A Comparative Study

Abstract

The present study examined gender differences in perceived organizational support, work family conflict, subjective happiness and child parent relationships among working parents in Karachi, Pakistan. A quantitative, cross sectional comparative design was used. The sample comprised 300 working parents employed in public and private organizations, including 150 working fathers and 150 working mothers. Participants were aged between 25–44 years and had at least one child aged between 3–12 years. Data were collected using the 8-item Perceived Organizational Support Scale, the 5-item work to family conflict subscale, the 4-item Subjective Happiness Scale and the 15-item Child Parent Relationship Scale (Short Form). Independent-sample t test was used to compare fathers and mothers. No significant gender difference was found in perceived organizational support, t(298) = 0.83, p = .324, subjective happiness, t(298) = 1.57, p = .118 and child parent relationship, t(298) = -0.33, p = .738. Significant difference emerged for work family conflict, t(298) = 2.57, p = .011. Working fathers reported higher work family conflict than working mothers. The findings indicate that gender differences in this sample were outcome specific rather than uniform across workplace, wellbeing and family domains. The results support the importance of including both fathers and mothers in research and organizational initiatives addressing work and family experiences.