| The domains of work and family are of great importance to most individuals. With this importance, there is the potential for activities within these two domains to be at odds, thereby resulting in work-family conflict. In addition, more recent research has suggested that there may be some benefit from activity in these two domains, resulting in positive spillover, or work-family enhancement. Role-identity salience has been used in research on self-concept. However, little research has been done on the area of role-identity salience and work-family interaction. The current research looks at salience for five role-identities: work, marital, parental, community service, and leisure.; Data from 373 respondents were collected, including information on work-family conflict, work-family enhancement, role-identity salience, and social support. The results suggest that social support, particularly that received from work sources, does indeed affect the level of work interference with family, one direction of work-family conflict. In addition, all sources of social support positively affect the levels of work-family enhancement. Role-identity salience also helps explain the differences in the levels of both work-family conflict and work-family enhancement experienced. In addition, each source of social support was significantly related to at least one role-identity salience. Strengths, limitations, and implications of the study are discussed, along with areas for future research. |
