Conflito trabalho-família, conflito família-trabalho e equilíbrio ocupacional: uma análise entre mulheres trabalhadoras brasileiras

Abstract

Throughout history, men have been considered to be the providers, while women have been considered the responsible for reproductive duties, not to mention that unpaid domestic work and caregiving are activities mostly carried out by women. As the female population became more present in the job market due to changes in social and familial structures, they had to face the challenge of conciliating family and work demands. This had the potential of causing unbalance between occupations, overload, strain, and suffering in these workers. Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic increased gender and class inequalities as it weakened support networks, increased domestic work and childcare demands, in addition to work-related pressure, increasing the risk of mental and physical suffering. This setting contributed for conflicts to appear in work-family relations. A conflict can emerge when the demands and requirements of one sphere of activity are not compatible with those from another. With this in mind, the goals of this study were: (i) to describe sociodemographic and professional characteristics and occupational balance; and (ii) to investigate whether these factors are predictive of a conflict in the work-family relation of Brazilian women workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. This is an observational, cross-sectional, and quantitative study, carried out using an online population survey. The workers were recruited by convenience and answered the following instruments: a questionnaire with sociodemographic and professional information; the Brazil Economic Classification Criteria, from the Associação Brasileira de Empresas de Pesquisa (the Brazilian Association of Research Companies); one question about their perceptions regarding their occupational balance; and the Multidimensional WorkFamily Conflict Survey - EMCT-F. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics. Two hierarchical multiple linear regression models were created: one to test the strength of the association between independent variables and the outcome of Work-Family Conflict (CTF); and the other to test the strength of the association between independent variables and the outcome of Family-Work Conflict (CFT). The study included 352 women, aged from 20 to 65 years, who lived in several Brazilian states and had active paid jobs. Occupational balance (β sc =-0.470; t=-7.314; p=0.000), work hour load (β sc=0.148; t=2.285; p=0.024), and behavior (β sc= 0.308; t=3.619; p=0.000) were predictors of family-work conflicts, and, together, explained 47.5% of the total variance (F(18. 158= 7.951; p= 0.000; R2 = 0.475). The variables in the family-work conflict model explained 31,7% of the total variance (F(19. 63= 3.983; p= 0.000; R2 = 0.317), suggesting that educational level (β sc= 0.224; t= 3.142; p= 0.002), occupational balance (β sc = -0.218; t= -2.658; p= 0.009), work hour load (β sc =-0.189; t= - 2.541; p= 0.012), and behavior (β sc= 0.247; t= 2.609; p= 0.010) were predictors of familywork conflicts. This result showed that work-family relations must be analyzed considering different personal and work factors, in association with the experience and involvement of working women in significant occupations. Longer work hours, worse occupational balance, and negative perception of behavior predict a higher chance of work-family conflict. On the other hand, lower hour loads, higher educational levels, worse occupational balance, and negative perceptions associated with one's behavior predict more family-work conflicts. The results of this research suggest paths to develop public policies targeted at gender equality, in addition to encouraging the inclusion of women in the Brazilian job market, their retention, and the provision of equal opportunities.