The work-family interface and polygamy in Africa: A demands-resources perspective

ABSTRACT

Work-family (WF) research in Africa has just begun to address unique elements of work and family relationships on this continent. In this paper, the relationships between family demands and resources in polygamous homes and family-to-work conflict and enrichment are put forward. Although some WF research has begun to broaden the definition of family to include extended family members, to date, polygamous family structures have been left out of the conversation. Yet, polygamous family structures are an important minority group with unique family-related resources and demands that impact the work-family interface. Drawing from a demands-resources approach, we discuss how demands and resources foster family-to-work conflict and enrichment among employed men and women in polygamous homes. We theorize about differences in family-to-work conflict and enrichment between employed men and women from both polygamous and monogamous African families. We also consider how gender roles and family values impact the experiences of employed husbands and wives within polygamous family structures. Opportunities for future research on this topic are discussed to foster understanding of the work-family interface for men and women in this non-trivial segment of the growing African economy.

KEYWORDS:

• work-family in Africa
• polygamy
• family resources
• family demands
• stigma

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Ifeyimika O. Ogunyomi

Ifeyimika Ogunyomi is a fourth-year doctoral candidate in the College of Business at the University of Texas at Arlington. She holds a graduate degree in Human Resource Management from the University of Texas at Arlington. Her research interests focus on understanding the experiences of emerging and understudied populations in the workforce using HR/OB theories and perspective. Her dissertation explores the career choice decisions and on-the-job experiences of healthcare nurses before and during the COVID-19 pandemic era.

Wendy J. Casper

Wendy Casper is a Peggy E. Swanson Endowed Chair of Management and Associate Dean for Research in the College of Business at the University of Texas at Arlington. She has won numerous awards for her research on work-family topics and was recognized as one of the top 50 thought leaders on work-family topics by the Work-Family Researchers Network. She is a Fellow of the Society for Industrial-Organizational Psychology and the American Psychological Association. Her work has been featured in media outlets such as the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, MSNBC News, HR Magazine, and Working Mother Magazine.