Family and Work: What Does it Mean? A Cross-Cultural Study on Work and Family Representations and its Impact on the Work-Family Centrality

The way individuals conceptualize and value work and family plays a crucial role in shaping identity and guiding personal and professional priorities. This descriptive-correlational and cross-cultural study aimed to analyze the centrality attributed to work and family, as well as to explore the social representations associated with these two domains. Samples were collected from Canada ( n = 77), India ( n = 201), Oman ( n = 175), Portugal ( n = 340) and Spain ( n = 102), totaling 895 participants. Participants provided demographic information, completed the Work–Family Centrality Scale, and evoked three words related to “family” and “work” through a free association task. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was used to identify latent dimensions of representation, and cluster analysis grouped participants into six distinct symbolic profiles. Results confirmed cultural differences in work–family centrality, with participants from Portugal and Spain prioritizing family, and participants from India attributing greater centrality to work. Gender differences were small and not statistically significant. Representational clusters were meaningfully associated with both country and centrality scores, indicating that the symbolic configuration of work and family informs how individuals prioritize these roles in their identity. This study highlights the value of integrating identity theory and Social Representations Theory to understand how personal and cultural meanings shape work–family dynamics.