Psychological capital, contextual demands and resources, work-family linking mechanisms and satisfaction with work-family balance in academia of Pakistan

Abstract

Satisfaction with work-family balance (SWFB) represents an individual’s subjective appraisal of the overall balance between work and family domains. Despite strong indications that contemporary academic faculty are facing substantial workfamily balance challenges, there is a lack of studies which has explored how their SWFB is shaped. The current study investigated how psychological capital (PsyCap) and job and family demands and resources influence the SWFB of academic faculty in public sector universities of Pakistan. Additionally, the study examined the mediating role of work-family linking mechanisms (WFLMs) that is bi-directional work-family conflict and work-family enrichment, based upon job demands-resources (JD-R) model. A quantitative study was conducted where questionnaires were distributed to 760 faculty members in 20 public sector universities of Pakistan. Out of the 523 returned responses, 444 questionnaires were usable after data screening. Partial least square based structural equation modeling using SMART PLS 3.2.7 was used to analyze the measurement and structural models in this study. The results of hypothesis testing revealed that job demands, job resources, family resources, PsyCap, work to family conflict, work to family enrichment and family to work enrichment significantly affected SWFB. Job demands and job resources was significantly related to both work to family conflict and enrichment. Family demands were significantly related only to the family to work conflict, but family resources significantly predicted both family to work enrichment and conflict. PsyCap was a significant predictor of SWFB as well as four types of WFLMs. Mediation analysis revealed that work to family conflict and enrichment significantly mediate all the proposed paths while family to work conflict did not prove to be a mediator in any of the relationship. Family to work enrichment significantly mediates the relationship between family resources and SWFB. Relative weight analysis revealed that PsyCap was the most influential predictor of SWFB and both directions of enrichment. Overall work-domain factors were more important predictors of SWFB than family domain factors. It was concluded that university administration can enhance faculty’s SWFB in two ways; First, design appropriate interventions to increase faculty’s optimism, hope, resilience, and self-efficacy and therefore enhancing overall PsyCap. Second, they can create a work environment with higher job resources and fewer job demands. A framework based upon JD-R with family-based and personality factors widens the scope of this research’s practical implications to a myriad of professions.