Author

Brittany Love

Date of Award

January 2016

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Sociology

First Advisor

Krista Minnotte

Abstract

Today many Americans struggle to balance work and family life, and schedule flexibility is one mechanism that can be used to reduce conflict between work and family. Since social class is understudied in work-family scholarship, this study will compare the experiences of high and low earners, with a focus on examining the relationship between schedule flexibility and work-to-family conflict. Using secondary data from the 2008 National Study of Changing Workforce (NSCW), this study explores whether schedule flexibility impacts work-to-family conflict differently among low and high earners (N = 1,665). Results indicated that both low and high earners experienced less work-to-family conflict when they had access to schedule flexibility. However, the relationship between schedule flexibility and work-to-family conflict was stronger for low earners compared to high earners. These findings were discussed in further detail, with implications for individuals and workplaces presented.

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