ABSTRACT

Work-family (WF) research in Africa has just begun to address unique elements of work and family relationships on this continent. In this paper, the relationships between family demands and resources in polygamous homes and family-to-work conflict and enrichment are put forward. Although some WF research has begun to broaden the definition of family to include extended family members, to date, polygamous family structures have been left out of the conversation. Yet, polygamous family structures are an important minority group with unique family-related resources and demands that impact the work-family interface. Drawing from a demands-resources approach, we discuss how demands and resources foster family-to-work conflict and enrichment among employed men and women in polygamous homes. We theorize about differences in family-to-work conflict and enrichment between employed men and women from both polygamous and monogamous African families. We also consider how gender roles and family values impact the experiences of employed husbands and wives within polygamous family structures. Opportunities for future research on this topic are discussed to foster understanding of the work-family interface for men and women in this non-trivial segment of the growing African economy.

摘要

非洲的工作家庭 (WF) 研究刚刚开始解决非洲大陆工作和家庭关系的独特因素。本文提出了一夫多妻家庭中的家庭需求和资源与家庭与工作的冲突和丰富之间的关系。尽管一些 WF 研究已经开始扩大家庭的定义以包括大家庭成员，但迄今为止，一夫多妻制的家庭结构已被排除在讨论之外。然而，一夫多妻的家庭结构是一个重要的少数群体，拥有独特的家庭相关资源和需求，会影响工作与家庭的互动。我们从需求-资源的方法出发，讨论需求和资源如何促进一夫多妻家庭中受雇男性和女性之间的家庭与工作之间的冲突和富裕。我们对来自一夫多妻制和一夫一妻制的非洲家庭的就业男性和女性之间的家庭与工作冲突和财富的差异进行了理论分析。我们还考虑了性别角色和家庭价值观如何影响一夫多妻家庭结构中就业丈夫和妻子的经历。讨论了未来对该主题进行研究的机会，以促进对非洲经济增长的这一重要部分中男性和女性的工作-家庭界面的理解。