Making it to the top: Do family-friendly workplaces support the advancement of women?

Abstract

Following an expansionist theory of work and family (Barnett & Hyde, 2001), the current study explores organizational factors that contribute to beneficial effects of having multiple roles for working parents. It was predicted and found that informal and formal support for families alleviates negative spillover and amplifies positive spillover between work and family roles. The results further indicate that the extent to which individuals' home lives positively affect their work lives facilitates their advancement. Contrary to the hypotheses, these effects were weaker for mothers than for fathers or individuals without children. As such, the current study contributes to a growing understanding of the difficult balance between work and family and uniquely considers its impact on women's advancement in organizations.