According to the author "this is the first study that showed being a parent improves not just personal well being but work performance as well." (my emphasis)
"Being able to manage demands of children and running a household helps to manage stress at work rather than adding to it. Family experiences...help managers develop the ability to see others views."
In more technical terms, here is the abstract. It is good to know that only specialists in this field can interpret what appears to me to be patently not the case, based upon a study.
The authors tested the premise that family role commitment (i.e., marital role commitment, parental role commitment) has simultaneous negative and positive effects on managers' (N = 346) life satisfaction, career satisfaction, and performance through family-to-work interference and enhancement. The authors also explored whether psychological strain mediates the effects of interference and enhancement on outcomes. The authors expected family role commitment to reduce the favorability of outcomes by increasing interference. To the contrary, they found that neither marital nor parental role commitment was associated with increased interference. The authors expected family role commitment to improve outcomes by increasing enhancement. As expected, marital role commitment was associated with increased enhancement, which, in turn, seemed to reduce strain and strengthen outcomes. Parental role commitment was also associated with increased enhancement. However, parental role commitment had direct positive effects on outcomes that were more substantial than its indirect effects through enhancement. Overall, marital and parental role commitment had more benefits than costs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2007 APA, all rights reserved)
I haven't read articles like this since my days studying Pyschology at the University of Stirling in the 1980s. Based upon my own experience, work is a healthy respite from being around the children and I think that my experience of working part time, so that I can do some parenting keeps me focussed at work since it is easier to do it there rather than trying to intervene in arguments and burn toast while trying to discuss projects with clients over the phone or writing emails while the kids are running around.
3 comments:
...found that parents are happier and more productive workers...
Yes, this is another of much research I've seen to this effect as well.
What about when the time comes when the parents have to give more attention to their own ageing parents? In the UK at least there is little understanding of this. Do you know of any studies on it?
It is a huge ticking timebomb here in Australia and specifically South Australia, with one of the largest coherts entering old age anywhere in the world. I think that this will severely challenge the work life balance of my generation, not just in the financial and tax resources required to fund the medical system, but the caring system, along with the other financial commitments and time commitments that seem to continue to pile up.
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