Gender Differences in the Relationship between Work-Life Balance, Career Opportunities and General Health Perception

Although gender equality is increasingly promoted both in the workplace and in society, and women have now fully entered the workforce, the issue of gender differences in relation to career advancement still seems open. Although gender roles no longer clearly define who is responsible for home care and who is responsible for job duties, some research shows that the conflict between family and work life appears to be a greater problem for women than for men. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between career opportunities, work-life balance, and well-being perception separately in both female (n = 499) and male (n = 557) respondents in order to shed light on the role of gender. A multi-group analysis showed that the structural paths of the models differ by gender. For women, the relationships between career opportunities and work-life balance and between career opportunities and the perception of general health have significantly lower values compared to results from the group of men, while the perception of work-life balance affects well-being more significantly when compared to the male counterpart. Implications on the importance of the connection between career and the valorization of personal life duties are further discussed.

Automated summary

Although gender equality is promoted, gender differences in career advancement still exist, with women more likely to face conflicts between family and work. This study found that women have different relationships with career opportunities, work-life balance, and well-being compared to men.