2011
Conference Paper
Society and Demographic Transition › Work and Quality of Life
Lau, Y. K., Ma, J. L. C., Wan, P. S., Wong, T. K. Y., & Lai, L. Y. (2011, June 26–28). Work-family conflicts, family leisure activities, and family functioning in Hong Kong. Paper presented at the Conference on Work, Life and Environment Relations: An International Perspective, Singapore.
Family Hong Kong Work-family Conflicts
Work is perceived to be a major barrier to the amount and quality of time available for family use. Both adequate time and quality time are important for the well-being of a family. Among the various patterns in the use of family time, there is ample evidence of a positive relationship between participation in family leisure and family functioning. Despite the persistent trend of long working hours in Hong Kong, how work affects the involvement of workers in family leisure is under-examined in Hong Kong.
Guided by an ecological-systemic perspective (Agate, Zabriskie and Eggett, 2007; Voydanoff, 2002), a random sample telephone survey was conducted in November 2010. A total of 1,002 respondents were successfully interviewed. From the results of the survey, it was found that work-family conflict has restricted an involvement in family leisure activities and increased the burden on those members of the family who are responsible for organizing leisure activities for the family. Furthermore, work-family conflict, together with the burden of organizing family leisure activities, has cumulative negative impact on family functioning. A family-friendly work policy, including childcare support, flexible working hours, and employer-sponsored family leisure activities, should be further promoted in Hong Kong.