Work-family conflict in four national contexts: A closer look at the role of individualism-collectivism

In this study, we examine the role of cultural variations conceptualized in terms of vertical and horizontal individualism and collectivism in the prediction of work-family conflict in four distinct national contexts of the United States, Australia, South Korea, and Japan. The results of our study suggest that vertical individualism is a strong predictor of work-family conflict across cultural and national boundaries. The findings indicate the importance of cultural dimensions as correlates or predictors of work-family conflict - especially, it highlights the role of the two components of the polythetic construct of individualism-collectivism: horizontal and vertical. Implications are discussed for future research in the area of international and cross-cultural studies of work-family conflict-related issues.