The father's and the mother's intrinsic work motivation and their work-to-family conflict perceived by the adolescent: Dyadic and triadic analyses

Integrating work-family conflict theory with family systems theory, we examine a potential dark side of parents' intrinsic work motivation by linking it to their work-to-family conflict (WFC) perceived by the adolescent at home. We hypothesize that the father's (mother's) intrinsic motivation may be positively related to his (her) WFC perceived by the adolescent. We additionally hypothesize that one spouse's WFC perceived by the adolescent is higher when his/her relative intrinsic motivation (to the other spouse) is higher. Finally, we examine gender egalitarianism (GE) as a moderator. Using data from 198 dual-earning heterosexual couples and their adolescent child from the 500-Family Project, we found strong support for the hypotheses pertaining to the father but no support for the hypotheses pertaining to the mother. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.