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Purpose The paper looks at the tensions and conflict between work and family life that arise from work intensification in higher education, in the particular context of Portuguese academe. Drawing on the concept of work‐family culture, the paper aims to discuss its influence on the level of work‐family conflict and the effectiveness of work‐family policies. Design/methodology/approach The study was conducted in a Portuguese university. Data were collected from 32 in‐depth interviews with faculty members from different backgrounds and affiliations. Findings The preservation of traditional gender roles in the family as well as a work‐family culture that is largely family‐unfriendly helps to understand the tensions and conflict between academic work and family life. These tensions are mainly felt by women particularly mothers of dependent children. The data also suggest that work‐family policies are fruitless unless they are supported by a positive work‐family culture. Research limitations/implications Study limited to a single university. Originality/value The paper provides evidence of the cumulative effect of the traditional division of gender roles in the family and a negative work‐family culture in the organization in contributing to increasing levels of work‐family conflict, particularly in a context of work intensification.
Santos et al. (Fri,) studied this question.