Role Conflict, Work-Family Conflict and Job Satisfaction among

Single Mother Employees

Aminah Ahmad, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Malaysia
Noryati Ngah, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Malaysia

ABSTRACT
Despite previous studies on job satisfaction and its antecedents, few studies have explored the interrelationships
between role conflict, work-family conflict and job satisfaction. The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of
role conflict on job satisfaction, with work-family conflict as a potential mediator. Data were gathered from 159
Malaysian single mother employees, aged 45 and below, using self-administered questionnaires. Results of regression
analyses indicate that work-family conflict serves as one of the mechanisms through which role conflict influences job
satisfaction. Role conflict experienced at the workplace can increase the interrole conflict between work and family
domains which in turn can reduce the level of job satisfaction. The findings suggest that to improve the job satisfaction
of employees the management should avoid seeing the problem of work in isolation from the total life space of
employees.
Keywords: Role Conflict, Work-Family Conflict, Job Satisfaction, Single Mother Employees
INTRODUCTION
Increasing the participation of women in the labour force brought a great increase in the number of individuals
with significant responsibilities both at work and with family including single parents and dual-career couples. In
Malaysia, the labor force participation rate of single mothers in 2007 was 4.1% for widowed and 2.8% for
divorced/separated (Department of Statistics, Malaysia, 2008) compared with 4.0 and 2.4% in 2005 (Department of
Statistics, Malaysia, 2006). Besides the increase in single mothers entering the work force while continuing to maintain
the majority of the family responsibilities (Jackson, Tal & Sullivan, 2003) there is a growing interest in the interface of
work-family roles. This interest has also in large measures been fuelled by the growing concern shown by policy
makers regarding the well-being of employees (Aminah & Zoharah, 2009). Since the pioneering work of Pleck (1977)
there has been a general consensus that work and family influence each other and of particular interest to researchers
has been the topic of work-family conflict.
Khan, Wolfe, Quinn, Snoek, and Rosenthal (1964) defined work-family conflict as a form of interrole conflict in
which the simultaneous occurrence of two (or more) sets of pressures is in such a way that compliance with one would
make compliance with the other difficult. The interrole conflict occurs because it is not possible for the focal person to
satisfy all expectations of his or her work and family roles since each role requires time, energy and commitment. Based
on the work of Kahn et al. (1964), Greenhaus and Beutell (1985) conceptualized work-family conflict as a form of
interrole conflict in which the role pressures from the work and family domains are mutually incompatible, such that
participation in one role makes it more difficult to participate in the other. Married working women are susceptible to
work-family conflict because of the incompatible demands of work and family roles (Greenhaus & Beutell, 1985) and
this conflict could result in negative consequences. Job dissatisfaction as one of the consequences of work-family
conflict has been examined by many researchers (Bhuian Menguc, & Borsboom, 2005; Bruck, Allen, & Spector, 2002;
Eby et al., 2005; Howard, Donofrio, & Boles, 2004; Karatepe & Uludag, 2007; Karatepe & Tekinkus, 2006; Lu,
Gilmour, Kao, & Huang, 2006; Lu, Kao, Chang, Wu, & Cooper, 2008; Namasivayam & Zhao, 2007; ODriscoll,
Brough, & Kalliath; 2004; Thanacoody, Bartram, & Casimir, 2009; Wayne et al., 2004; Yildirim & Aycan, 2008).
Besides work-family conflict, role conflict is another predictor of job satisfaction. Role conflict refers to
situations where the priorities of two systems cannot be achieved at the same time, or incompatibility between the

expectations of parties or between aspects of a single role (Shenkar & Zeira, 1992; Peterson & Smith, 1995). Role
conflict occurs when there exists different polices or demands and this can cause individual dissatisfaction and
decreased organizational performance (Rizzo, House, & Lirtzman, 1970; Shenkar et al., 1992). Bhuian, Menguc, and
Borsboom (2005), and Lu and Lee (2007) found that the role conflict experienced by employees can result in job
dissatisfaction. Role conflict is not only a predictor of job satisfaction but also work-family conflict. The more conflict
among work roles employees experience the greater the chances that stress will spill over and cause negative behaviors
that interfere with fulfilling family roles (Greenhaus & Beutell, 1985).
Conservation of Resources Theory
The model in this study is developed based on the Conservation of Resources (COR) theory (Hobfoll, 1989), as
well as the work of previous researchers. The COR theory proposes that individuals seek to acquire and maintain
resources to reduce stress. Stress is a reaction to an environment in which there is the threat of a loss of resources, an
actual loss in resources, or lack of an expected gain in resources. Resources include objects, conditions, personal
characteristics, and energies. Loss of this resource, or the threat of such a loss, may cause the experience of stress such
as work-family conflict. COR theory has been used by Grandey and Cropanzano (1999) in their research on the
consequence of stressors on workfamily conflict.
Work role stressor (role conflict) and work-family conflict are expected to be related to one another. In particular,
those who experience work role conflict will be more likely to report work-family conflict. According to the COR
model, experiencing high levels of conflict at work might tap available resources and leave fewer resources available
for meeting the work and family demands (Grandey & Cronpanzano, 1999). In this manner, work role conflict would
lead to work-family conflict.
The COR theory proposes that interrole conflict leads to stress because resources are lost in the process of
juggling both work and family roles. The potential or actual loss of these resources results in job dissatisfaction. Once
employees are confronted with high levels of conflict in work-family interface, they are likely to be dissatisfied with
their jobs.
Based on the COR theory (Hobfoll, 1989) as well as previous findings, one could argue that there are
interrelationships among role conflict, work-family conflict and job satisfaction, and that changes in the levels of role
conflict could lead to changes in the levels of work-family conflict which could in turn lead to changes in the levels of
job satisfaction and thus the following hypotheses were tested.
H1: There is a significant relationship between role conflict and job satisfaction.
H2: There is a significant relationship between role conflict and work-family conflict.
H3: There is a significant relationship between work-family conflict and job satisfaction.
H4: Work-family conflict mediates the relationship between role conflict and job satisfaction.
METHOD
Sample and Procedure
The sample of this present study consisted of single mothers working in Klang Valley, Malaysia. Single mother
employees who met the following criteria were identified: (a) married, (b) working full-time, and (c) having at least one
child staying at home. These criteria were established to ensure that the women in the sample had quite similar
responsibilities in terms of family and work roles. Data were collected from a sample of 159 single mother employees
using self-administered questionnaires through the drop and collect method. The questionnaire was administered in
Malay language. Before its administration, the questionnaire was translated from English to Malay, and was validated
by back-translation to ensure that both versions were equivalent.
Measurement
Work-Family Conflict. Work-family conflict was measured using the interrole conflict scale developed by Pleck,
Staines and Lang (1980). This scale consists of eight items based on the three most prevalent aspects of work-family

conflict, namely excessive work time, schedule conflict, and fatigue or irritability. Five-point scaled response options
ranging from strongly disagree (1) to strongly agree (5) were used. Examples of items are: My work takes up time that
I would like to spend with my family and On the job I have so much work to do that it takes away time for my family
interest. The reliability coefficient (alpha) of this work-family conflict scale was 0.89.
Role Conflict. Role conflict was measured using 8 items adapted from Kopelman et al. (1983). The respondents
were requested to respond using five-point scaled response options ranging from strongly disagree (1) to strongly agree
(5). Examples of items are: On the job I work under incompatible policies and guidelines and At work I receive
incompatible requests from two or more people. The reliability coefficient (alpha) of this role conflict scale was 0.76.
Job Satisfaction. Job satisfaction was measured using five items. Three of the items were adopted from the
instruments developed by Hackman and Oldhman (1975), and two by Clark (2001). The subjects of this study were
requested to respond using five-point scaled response options ranging from strongly disagree (1) to strongly agree (5).
Examples of items are: I am generally satisfied with the kind of work I do in this job and I frequently think of
quitting this job. The reliability coefficient (alpha) of this job satisfaction scale was 0.81.
Statistical Analysis
Descriptive statistics were computed to present the main characteristics of the subjects. Correlation coefficients
were calculated to examine the relationships between work-family conflict, supervisor support and job satisfaction. A
series of regression analyses was employed to test the hypotheses of the study. Judd and Kenny (1981) recommended
the use of a series of regression analyses to test the meditational model. Testing for mediation requires the estimation of
the following regression equations: first, regressing the mediator on the independent variable; second, regressing the
dependent variable on the independent variable; and third, regressing the dependent variable on both the independent
variable and on the mediator (Baron & Kenny, 1986).
The following are the four conditions for establishing mediation; (1) The independent variable significantly affect
the dependent variable; (2) The independent variable significantly affect the mediator; (3) The mediator significantly
affect the dependent variable; (4) The effect of the independent variable on the dependent variable shrinks upon the
addition of the mediator to the model. If the independent variable does not affect the dependent variable upon regressing
the dependent variable on both the independent variable and on the mediator, then full mediation is established. If
otherwise, the test supports partial mediation.
RESULTS
The respondents age ranged from 31-45 years (M = 37.13, SD = 6.07) with 62.3% aged 36-45. They had an
average of about 9 years of working experience (M = 9.41, SD = 6.41) (Table 1). Among the respondents, 36.5% had 5
years or less of experience while 30.2% had 6-10 years of experience in their present jobs. The mean income for the
respondents was RM 1942.28 (SD = 1296.37). 57.9% of the respondents had only one to two children and on the
average, the respondents had 2-3 children (M = 2.48, SD = 1.34). The mean score for work-family conflict on a fivepoint scale was 2.84 (SD = 0.87), role conflict 2.58 (SD = 0.58) and job satisfaction 3.88 (SD = 0.68) (Table 2).
Correlational analysis results revealed that there were significant correlations between role conflict and workfamily conflict (r=0.46, p<0.01), and job satisfaction (r=-0.27, p<0.01). Work-family conflict was significantly related
to job satisfaction (r=-0.35, p<0.01) (Table 2). The results show that an increase in role conflict leads to an increase in
work-family conflict and a decrease in job satisfaction. An increase in work-family conflict leads to a decrease in job
satisfaction. These results support H1-H3.
A series of regression analyses was used to test the role of work-family conflict as a mediator in the relationship
between role conflict and job satisfaction. Applying the four conditions for establishing mediation, it was found that
work-family conflict fully mediates the relationship between role conflict and job satisfaction since the independent
variable did not affect the dependent variable upon regressing the dependent variable on both the independent variable
and the mediator (Table 3). The results indicated that role conflict increased the work-family conflict of single mother
employees (= 0.46, p<0.01) which in turn could lead to reduced job satisfaction experienced by the single mother
employees ( = -0.28, p < 0.01) (Figure 1). These results support H4.

Table 1: Characteristics of Respondents

Frequency
%

Characteristic
Age (years)
30
31 35
36 40
41 45

31
29
45
54

19.5
18.2
28.3
34.0

Working experience (years)

5
6 10
11 15
16-20
21

58
48
24
19
10

36.5
30.2
15.1
11.9
6.3

Income (RM/month)
400 1000
1001 1500
1501 - 2000
2001

35
38
33
50

22.0
23.9
20.8
31.4

Number of Children
12
34
>5

92
53
14

57.9
33.3
8.8

Mean
37.13

SD
6.07

9.41

6.41

1942.28

1296.37

2.48

1.34

Table 2: Means, Standard Deviations and Intercorrelations of the Variables

Variable
1
2
3
Mean
1. Work-Family Conflict
2.84
2. Role Conflict
0.46**
2.58
3. Job Satisfaction
-0.35**
-0.27**
3.88

SD
0.87
0.58
0.68

Note: ** p<0.01, ***p< 0.001

Criterion Variable
Job satisfaction
Job satisfaction
Work-family conflict
Job satisfaction

Table 3: Results of multiple regression analyses

Predictor variable

Adjusted R2
Role conflict
-0.27**
0.07
Role conflict
-0.35**
0.12
Role conflict
0.46**
0.21
Work-family conflict
-0.14
0.13
Role conflict
-0.28**

F
12.34**
21.65**
42.67**
12.31**

Note: * p < 0.05 ** p < 0.01

Figure 1: Results of multiple regression analyses with work-family conflict

as a mediator of the relationship between role conflict and job satisfaction
DISCUSSION
The present study developed and tested a research model that investigated the effects of role conflict and work
family conflict on job satisfaction, and the mediating role of work-family conflict in the relationship between role

conflict and job satisfaction of single mother employees. The hypothesis suggesting that role conflict increases single
mother employees workfamily conflict was confirmed by the results of this study and the results are in consonant
with those of Carlson and Kacmar (2000). Similar findings were also reported by Boyar, Maertz, Pearson, and Keough
(2003), and Bhuian, Menguc, and Borsboom (2005).
In this study, work-family conflict was found to be significantly and negatively related to single mother
employees job satisfaction. Similar findings were obtained by Lu, Kao, Chang, Wu, and Cooper (2008), and Thomas
and Gangster (1995). The findings of this study indicate that single mother employees experiencing conflict between
non-work and work domains would not be able to carry out their job-related tasks successfully and thus become
dissatisfied with their jobs.
Theoretically, the findings show that the COR theory (Hobfoll, 1989) could be used as the basis for explaining the
mediating effect of work-family conflict in the relationship between role conflict and job satisfaction. According to this
theory, experiencing high levels of conflict at work might tap available resources and leave fewer resources available
for meeting the work and family demands (Grandey & Cronpanzano, 1999). In this manner, work role conflict would
lead to work-family conflict.
The COR theory proposes that interrole conflict leads to stress because resources are lost in the process of
juggling both work and family roles. The potential or actual loss of these resources results in job dissatisfaction. Once
employees are confronted with high levels of conflict in the work-family interface, they are likely to be dissatisfied with
their jobs. The results show that changes in the levels of role conflict could lead to changes in the levels of work-family
conflict which could in turn could lead to changes in the levels of job satisfaction.
There are limitations to this study that should be noted. First, a significant limitation is the small sample size that
was utilized. The results reported here may only be generalized to single mothers meeting the selection criteria (fulltime working, aged 45 years and below, and having at least one child). Caution must be exercised in generalizing the
findings from this sample to other single mother employees in the study area, as well as to other groups of women
employees such as those with partners and working part-time, as well as those without children. Second, the inferences
drawn from this study are limited by self-report data and cross-sectional characteristics of the data.
The findings suggest that role conflict affect work-family conflict which has the potential to influence job
satisfaction. Managers can make adjustments to offset role conflict, and therefore reduce work-family conflict which
could affect job satisfaction. Role conflict occurs when work roles interfere with each other, limiting the employees
ability to accomplish goals in one of their work roles (Boyar et al., 2003). In order to minimize the negative effects of
role conflict, managers can provide training to help employees develop strategies for dealing with the conflict.
In conclusion, our study showed that work-family conflict serves as one of the mechanisms through which role
conflict influences job satisfaction. The role conflict experienced by single mother employees at the workplace can
increase the conflict that they experienced in meeting the demands of work and family roles which in turn can reduce
the level of job satisfaction. The findings suggest that to improve the well-being of employees such as their job
satisfaction, the management should avoid seeing the problem of work in isolation from the total life space of employees.
REFERENCES
Aminah Ahmad, & Zoharah Omar (2008). Gender differences in work-family conflict and family-friendly employment policy practices. The International
Journal of the Humanities, 6, 15-25.
Baron, R. M., & Kenny, D. A. (1986). The moderator-mediator variable distinction in social psychological research: Conceptual, strategic and
statistical considerations. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 51(6), 1173 1182.
Bhuian, S. N., Menguc, B., & Borsboom, R. (2005). Stressors and job outcomes in sales: A triphasic model versus a linear-quadratic-interactive
model. Journal of Business Research, 58(2), 141-150.
Boyar, S. L., Maertz, C. P., Pearson, A., & Keough, S. M. (2003). Work-family conflict: A model of linkages

between work and family domain

variables and turnover intentions. Journal of Managerial Issues, 15(2), 175-190.

Boles, J. S., Howard, W. G., & Donofrio, H. H. (2001). An investigation into the interrelationships of work-family conflict, family-work conflict and
work satisfaction. Journal of Managerial Issues, 13, 376-390.
Bruck, C. S., Allen, T. D., & Spector, P. E. (2002). The relationship between work-family conflict and job satisfaction: A finer-grained analysis.
Journal of Vocational Behavior, 60, 336-353.

Carlson, D. S. & Kacmar, K. M. (2000). Work-family conflict in the organization: Do life role values make a difference?. Journal of Management, 25
(5), 1031-1054.
Clark, S. C. (2001). Work cultures and work/family balance. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 58, 348-365.
Department of Statistics, Malaysia (2006). Labor Force Survey Report. Department of Statistics, Putrajaya, Malaysia.
Department of Statistics, Malaysia (2008). Labor Force Survey Report, 2007. Putrajaya, Malaysia: Department of Statistics, Malaysia.
Eby, L. T., Casper, W. J., Lockwood, A., Bordeaux, C., & Brinley, A. (2005). Work and family research in IO/OB: Content analysis and review of the
literature (19802002). Journal of Vocational Behavior, 66, 124197.
Grandey, A. A. & Cropanzano, R. (1999). The conservation of resources model applied to work-family conflict and strain. Journal of Vocational
Behavior, 54, 350-70.
Greenhaus, J. H., & Beutell, N. J. (1985). Sources of conflict between work and family roles. Academy of Management Journal, 10, 76-88.
Hackman, J. R., & Oldham, G. R. (1975). Development of the Job Diagnostic Survey. Journal of Applied Psychology, 60, 159-170.
Hobfoll, S. E. (1989). Conservation of resources: A new attempt at conceptualizing stress. American Psychologist, 44, 513524.
Howard, W. G., Donofrio, H. H., & Boles, J. S. (2004). Inter-domain work-family, family-work conflict and police work satisfaction. Policing: An
International Journal of Police Strategies & Management, 27(3), 380-395.
Jackson, M.A., A.I. Tal and A.R. Sullivan, 2003. Hidden Biases in Counseling Women Balancing Work and Family Concerns. In: Handbook of
Counseling Women, Kopala, M. and M.A. Keitel (Eds.). Thousand Oaks, CA., Sage.
Judd, C. M., & Kenny, D. A. (1981). Process analysis: Estimating mediation in evaluation research. Evaluation Research, 50(7), 757-778.
Kahn, R. L., Wolf, D. M., Quinn, R. P. & Rosenthal, J. D. (1964). Organizational stress: Studies in role conflict and ambiguity. New York: Wiley.
Karatepe, O., & Tekinkus, M. (2006). The effects of work-family conflict, emotional exhaustion, and intrinsic motivation on job outcomes of frontline employees. International Journal of Bank Marketing, 24(3), 173-93.
Karatepe, O. M., & Uludag, O. (2007). Conflict, exhaustion, and motivation: A study of frontline employees in Northern Cyprus hotels. Hospitality
Management, 26, 645665.
Kopelman, R. E., Greenhaus, J. H., & Connolly, T. F. (1983). A model of work, family, and interrole conflict: A construct validation study.
Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, 32, 198-215.
Lu, L., Kao, S. F., Chang, T. T., Wu, H. P., & Cooper, C. L. (2008). Work/family demands, work flexibility, work/family conflict, and their
consequences at work: a national probability sample in Taiwan. International Journal of Stress Management, 15(1), 1-21.
Lu, L., Gilmour, R., Kao, S. F., & Huang, M. T (2006). A cross-cultural study of work/family demands, work/family conflict and wellbeing: The
Taiwanese vs. British. Career Development International, 11(1), 9-27.
Lu, L. T. & Lee, Y. H. (2007). The effect of supervision style and decision-making on role stress and satisfaction of senior foreign managers in
international joints ventures in China. International Journal of Commerce and Management, 17 (4), 284-294.
Namasivayam, K., & Zhao, X. (2007). An investigation of the moderating effects of organizational commitment on the relationships between work
family conflict and job satisfaction among hospitality employees in India. Tourism Management, 28, 12121223.
Noor, N. M. (2002). Work family conflict, locus of control, and womens well-being: tests of alternative pathways. Journal of Social Psychology,
142(5), 645662.
Noor, N. M. (2003). Work-and family-related variables, work-family conflict and womens well-being: Some observations. Community, Work, and
Family, 6, 297-319.
ODriscoll, M. P., Brough, P., & Kalliath, T. (2004). Work/family conflict, well-being, satisfaction and social support: A longitudinal study in New
Zealand. Equal Opportunities International, 23(1/2), 36-56.
Peterson, F. M. & Smith, P. B. (1995). Role conflict, ambiguity, and overload: A 21-nation study. Academy of Management Journal, 38 (2), 52429.
Pleck, J. H. (1977). The work-family role system. Social Problems, 24, 417-427.
Pleck, J., Staines, G., & Lang, L. (1980). Conflict between work and family life. Monthly Labor Review, March, 29-32.
Shenkar, O. & Zeira, Y. (1992). Role conflict and role ambiguity of chief executive officers in international joint ventures. Journal of International
Business Studies, 23 (1), 55-75.
Rizzo, R. J., House, R. J. & Lirtzman, S. I. (1970). Role conflict and ambiguity in complex organizations. Administrative Science Quarterly, 15 (2),
63150.
Thanacoody, P. R., Bartram, T., & Casimir, G. (2009). The effects of burnout and supervisory social support on the relationship between work-family
conflict and intention to leave: A study of Australian cancer workers. Journal of Health Organization and Management, 23(1), 5369.
Thomas, L. T., & Ganster, D. C. (1995). Impact of family-supportive work variables on workfamily conflict and strain: A control perspective.
Journal of Applied Psychology, 80, 615.
Wayne, J. H., Musisca, N. & Fleeson, W. (2004). Considering the role of personality in the work-family experience: Relationships of the big five to
work-family conflict and facilitation. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 64(1), 108-130.
Yildirim, D., & Aycan, Z. (2008). Nurses work demands and workfamily conflict: A questionnaire survey. International Journal of Nursing Studies,
45(9), 1366-1378.