Stressors in the family-work system, family-friendly management practice assessment and dedication to work: A comparative analysis between fathers and mothers

The study explored the correlations between stressors in the family-work system, the assessment of family-friendly management practices, and work dedication among parents in Israel, with a comparison between fathers and mothers. The research sample included 317 Jewish parents, each with at least one child under the age of 10 (158 mothers, 159 fathers). Quantitative methods were employed, and data were collected by the Israeli Panels Research Institute. Women tend to make more accommodation requests for childcare and experience greater discrimination at work than fathers. Accommodation requests and assessments of non-family-friendly management practices correlated with feelings of being discriminated against among both men and women. However, discrimination correlated negatively to work dedication only among women. Negative experiences at work contribute more to explaining the dedication of women to work than the dedication of men. Public significance statement: The findings indicate that for both genders, perceptions of management as non-family-friendly and the frequency of accommodation requests are positively correlated with experiences of discrimination among working parents. However, the experience of discrimination is negatively correlated with work dedication only among mothers. These findings underscore the importance of organizations pursuing a family-friendly agenda. Advancing such an agenda is pivotal, as it could mitigate experiences of discrimination and thereby contribute indirectly to employee well-being.