The Timing of Childbirth and Family-to-Work Conflict

An Investigation of the Variables That Influence Female Counselors' Work–Family Conflict

“…Empirical evidence reveals that three main characteristics—demographic, occupational, and family—are antecedents to an individual's WFC (Grzywacz & Marks, ; Noor, ). Some researchers have indicated that the three characteristics increase WFC for individuals (Carlson, Kacmar, & Williams, ; Frone et al, ), whereas other researchers have found that these characteristics decrease WFC (Beutell & Greenhaus, ; Bulanda & Lippman, ). Additionally, Frone et al () indicated that the three characteristics influence the directionality of WFC so that some contribute to WIF whereas others contribute to FIW (see Table ).…”

“…Bulanda and Lippman () found that women who delayed childbirth reported less WIF and that the age at which a woman had her first child was a stronger predictor of WFC than occupational characteristics. For the number of hours spent in the family role, Carlson et al () found that a high level of involvement in the family role was associated with behavior‐based FIW.…”

Outdoor Careers and Motherhood

“…Women who are mothers make work and family decisions that often result in sacrifices in one or the other. This might include leaving the workforce, reduced work hours (Bulanda & Lippman, 2012; Hynes & Clarkberg, 2005), delaying childbirth (Bulanda & Lippman, 2012), or staying single or marrying late (Allin, 2004). Work-family balance, simply stated, is the ability to resolve conflict between work and family (Carlson, Grzywacz, & Zivnuska, 2009).…”

“…Additional challenges for women include a majority of child care is still maintained by women (Bianchi & Milkie, 2010; Lee et al, 2014), and parenting can result in poor health, lost wages, slower rates of career mobility, and less opportunities for career advancement (Bulanda & Lippman, 2012). For women working in Adventure Education (AE), Outdoor Education (OE), and/or Experiential Education (EE), spending extended time away from home both in the back country or traveling can compound the conflict and impact one’s career longevity (Wright & Gray, 2013).…”

Depression, Work and Family Roles, and the Gendered Life Course

“…This study follows the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, 1979 Cohort (NLSY79), from their late 20s to early 50s, examining how individuals’ age and the presence and age of children shape the association between employment and depression. Research on mental health and the timing of work and family roles has tended to focus on role transitions, exploring the timing of first birth (Bulanda and Lippmann 2012; Kalil and Kunz 2002; Mirowsky and Ross 2002), employment entrances (Clarke and Wheaton 2005), and employment exits near retirement (Falba, Sindelar, and Gallo 2009). Few, if any, studies focus on age variation in the consequences of employment during middle adulthood, when the majority of initial transitions into work and parenting roles have already occurred but when the rewards and demands of these roles continue to evolve.…”