Much research has examined the effects of the employment of women on family life, but substantially less attention has been paid to the impact of family life on work behaviour. This research was undertaken to test four competing hypotheses about the effects of family life on a woman's job performance and work attitudes. A sample of 94 non‐professional women participated in the study. They completed several work and family‐oriented questionnaires. Their managers provided job performance ratings. Of the four hypotheses tested (diffusion of energy; spillover effect; compensatory effect; and motherhood demands), the pattern of results best supported the motherhood demands hypothesis. Results showed that women with children were significantly lower in occupational commitment relative to women without children. Contrary to expectation, women with younger children outperformed women with older children.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Campbell et al. (1994) studied this question.