The impact of work on marriage in three cultures: a qualitative study

Abstract

The present study examined the impact of work on marriage across three cultures: London (UK), Hong Kong, and Beijing (China), via qualitative interviews. A total of 79 respondents were interviewed in the three cultures, and template analysis was used as the method of analysis. The results showed that although one-third to half of the respondents from each culture mentioned the negative interference of work on their marriages, there were cultural differences in the aspects of negative work interference the respondents focused on. More British respondents mentioned time-based conflict than their counterparts from Hong Kong and Beijing. About half of the respondents from each culture reported that work did not interfere with their marriages and their family lives. Respondents from the three cultures mentioned the separation between work and family as a protective factor. More respondents from Hong Kong mentioned having acceptable work hours/work load was important. These observed findings are in line with the postulations of modernization and cultural value theories, which suggest that in modernized societies where independence is valued, intimacy and love in personal relationships are emphasized. Individuals from these societies may be more sensitive to time-based work–family conflict as a result.

[Agrave] partir d'entretiens qualitatifs, cette étude examine l'impacte du travail sur les relations maritales dans trois cultures : Londres (Royaume-Uni), Hong Kong et Beijing (Chine). Un total de soixante-dix-neuf enquêtés a été interrogé dans ces trois cultures. Les résultats montrent que, bien que du tiers à la moitié des enquêtés de chaque culture a mentionné l'interférence négative du travail sur leur vie maritale, différents aspects de cette interférence ont été soulignés en fonction de l'appartenance culturelle des enquêtés. Plus de personnes interrogées au Royaume-Uni ont mentionné une tension due au temps que celles interrogées à Hong Kong et Beijing. Environ la moitié des enquêtés de chaque culture ont rapporté que le travail n'interfère pas dans leur vie maritale et familiale. Dans les trois cultures, certains ont fait référence à la séparation entre le travail et la famille en tant que facteur protecteur. Plus de personnes habitant Hong Kong ont mentionné qu'il est important d'avoir des heures et une charge de travail acceptables. Ces conclusions sont en accords avec certaines théories de la modernisation ainsi que des valeurs liées à la culture qui suggèrent que, dans les sociétés modernisées o[ugrave] l'indépendance est valorisée, l'accent est mis sur l'intimité et l'amour dans les relations personnelles. En conséquence, les individus de ces sociétés peuvent être plus sensibles aux tensions dues au temps entre le travail et la famille.

Keywords:

• culture
• work
• marriage
• family

Mots-clés::

• culture
• travail
• mariage
• famille

Notes

1. Although the respondents were asked to describe the impact of their own work on their marriages, seven respondents (London, 4; Hong Kong, 1; Beijing, 2) also mentioned the impact of their spouses’ work on their marriages spontaneously, despite not being asked by the interviewers to comment on their spouses’ work. Those responses regarding the spouses’ work were not included in the analyses as they were not the focus of the present study.

2. Additional analysis was conducted for the Hong Kong sample comparing participants in the education sector (i.e., teachers and principals) and those in other occupations. No significant difference was found for the two groups for the subtheme on having ‘acceptable work hours or workload,’ χ ²(1, N=30) = 3.97, Fischer's exact test p > 0.5. There was also no significant difference between the two groups on the reported frequencies of the theme ‘work did not interfere with marriage and family,’ χ ²(1, N=30) = 0.14, Fischer's exact test p > 0.05.