The development and empirical evaluation of a structural model of enrichment among female academics

Date
2020-03
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
Abstract
ENGLISH ABSTRACT : For centuries, men have dominated the workforce across the world. However, in the last decades since the first democratic election in South Africa in 1994, the amount of women entering the world of work has steadily increased accounting for 43.8% of employees in the second quarter of 2018. Women often have to juggle the roles of wife, mother, homemaker and career. Yet, work obligations and family responsibilities are often incompatible, thus resulting in work-family conflict. The situation in higher education institutions are no different: female academics often have to manage competing teaching responsibilities, student supervision, research and family responsibilities. Traditionally research has focused on the negative side of the work-family interface. This study focused on the positive side of the work-family interface which presupposes that work and family roles may have a beneficial influence on one another. Set within the framework of Greenhaus and Powell‟s (2006) work-family enrichment theory, this study investigated the experience of work-family and family-work enrichment among female academics. A structural model of the factors that influence female academics‟ experience of work-family and family-work enrichment was tested to explicate the psychological mechanisms underlying enrichment, as well as the resources that facilitate greater enrichment. An ex post facto correlational design with a convenience sample of 84 female academics was utilised. The results (analyses conducted with PLS) provided support for five of the ten hypothesised paths. Family time and family support were found to be significant predictors of family-work enrichment, whilst organisational support emerged as a significant predictor of work-family enrichment. Moreover, occupational coping self-efficacy was identified as an outcome of family-work enrichment and a significant predictor of work-family enrichment. This study intended to contribute to higher education institutions‟ understanding of the experience of enrichment (both work-family and family-work) among female academics. Based on this knowledge, higher education institutions should attempt design interventions that could potentially enhance enrichment of female employees.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING : Oor die eeue heen het mans die arbeidsmag regoor die wêreld oorheers. In die laaste paar dekades, sedert die eerste demokratiese verkiesing in Suid-Afrika in 1994, het die hoeveelheid vroue wat tot die wêreld van werk toegetree het aansienlik toegeneem, tot so „n mate dat vroue in die tweede kwartaal van 2018 43,8% van die arbeidsmag uitgemaak het. Gevolglik moet vroue die rolle van vrou, moeder, tuisteskepper en loopbaanvrou vervul. Tog is werkverpligtinge en gesinsverantwoordelikhede dikwels onversoenbaar, wat lei tot konflik tussen werk en gesin. Die situasie in hoër onderwysinstellings verskil nie: vroulike akademici moet dikwels kompeterende onderrigverantwoordelikhede, studieleiding, navorsing en gesinsverantwoordelikhede bestuur. Navorsing het tradisioneel gefokus op die negatiewe kant van die werk-gesin interaksie. Hierdie studie fokus op die positiewe kant van die werk-gesin interaksie wat veronderstel dat werk- en gesinsrolle 'n voordelige invloed op mekaar kan hê. Binne die raamwerk van Greenhaus en Powell (2006) se werk-familie verrykingsteorie, ondersoek hierdie studie vroulike akademici se ervaringe van werk-familie en familie-werk verryking. „n Strukturele model met die faktore wat vroulike akademici se ervaringe van werk-familie en familie-werk verryking beïnvloed, is getoets om die sielkundige meganismes onderliggend aan verryking te ondersoek, asook die hulpbronne wat tot meer verryking lei. „n Ex post facto korrelatiewe ontwerp met 'n gerieflikheidsteekproef van 84 vroulike akademici is gebruik. Die resultate (ontledings is met PLS uitgevoer) het ondersteuning verskaf vir vyf van die tien voorgestelde bane. Dit is bevind dat gesinstyd en gesinsondersteuning beduidende voorspellers van familie-werk verryking is, terwyl organisatoriese ondersteuning 'n belangrike voorspeller van werk-familie verryking was. Boonop is werkverwant selfdoeltreffendheid geïdentifiseer as 'n uitvloeisel van familie-werk verryking en as 'n beduidende voorspeller van werk-familie verryking. Hierdie studie het ten doel gehad om by te dra tot hoër onderwysinstellings se begrip van vroulike akademici se ervaringe van verryking (beide werk-familie en familie-werk). Op grond van hierdie kennis, moet hoëronderwysinstellings poog om intervensies te ontwikkel wat moontlik die verryking van vroulike werknemers kan bevorder.
Description
Thesis (MCom)--Stellenbosch University, 2020.
Keywords
Women college teachers, Work and family -- Women, Job enrichment -- Women, UCTD
Citation