Conflict in Women’s Decision-making About Multiple Roles

SynopsisThe purpose of the present study is to present a conceptual map of the different patterns of relationships between work and private lives and address the serious dilemmas and tensions in coping with the public work - private personal interface. Previous research in this area suggests that a major concern of professional occupational groups is precisely the relationship between these two worlds. The paper highlights the complex processes involved in women’s role choices. Using results from qualitative interviews conducted with 36 women aged 27, about their past and present work and family experiences, an adaptation of a typology by Evans & Bartolome (1984) is used to explain the different role constraints faced by women over time. The adapted typology is incorporated within the Krumboltz (1984) decision-making theory to illuminate the problematic nature of the work-family relationship.