Who bears the growing burden? Gender and work-life conflict across Europe

Mentus, Vladimir and Zafirović, Jovana (2026) Who bears the growing burden? Gender and work-life conflict across Europe. In: Joint ESS-SHARE-GGP User Meeting 2026 in Vienna, Austria. Bundesministerium für Frauen, Wissenschaft und Forschung, Vienna, p. 5.

Text ess-share-ggp-meeting-2026-abstracts-.pdf - Published Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives. Download (1MB)

Abstract

Work-life conflict (WLC) increased significantly across 19 European countries between 2004 and 2020, with a steeper rise in the most recent decade. Women experienced a faster increase than men, gradually eroding the initial gender gap. Total working hours are the strongest individual predictor of WLC, and controlling for hours renders the gender effect non-significant, suggesting working hours mediate the gender–WLC association. Countries with higher gender pay gaps show relatively greater WLC among men, consistent with breadwinner norms. Countries with higher female part-time rates saw steeper WLC growth over time, suggesting part-time arrangements lose their buffering effect under sustained pressure

Actions (login required)

View Item