Configurational demographic predictors of work–nonwork satisfaction

• Published date: 01 January 2020
• Author: Farveh Farivar,Julia Richardson
• Date: 01 January 2020
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/1748-8583.12257

ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Configurational demographic predictors of work–

nonwork satisfaction

Farveh Farivar

1

| Julia Richardson

2

1

School of Management and Marketing,

University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia

2

School of Management, Curtin University,

Perth, WA, Australia

Correspondence

Dr Farveh Farivar, School of Management and

Marketing, University of Tasmania, Hobart,

TAS, Australia.

Email: farveh.farivar@utas.edu.au

Funding information

Curtin University; Australian Federal

Government the Department of Education

Abstract

Contemporary work–life balance research tends to treat

demographic variables as moderators, grouping variables,

or control variables influencing work and nonwork satisfac-

tion. Yet earlier theories were premised on the assumption

that they are, in fact, predictors of work and nonwork sat-

isfaction even though those assumptions have not yet

been tested empirically. Drawing on an Australian study

comprising 798 white-collar employees and using a fuzzy-

set qualitative comparative analysis technique, we investi-

gate demographic variables as potential configurational

predictors affecting work–nonwork satisfaction, defined as

a combination of work satisfaction and nonwork satisfac-

tion. The analysis revealed different scenarios and specific

patterns between configurational solution terms leading to

work–nonwork satisfaction. Employment status and age of

children (specifically age differences between children)

were the most important demographic variables influencing

employees' work–nonwork satisfaction.

KEYWORDS

age of children, demographic variables, employment status, work

satisfaction, work–nonwork satisfaction

1|INTRODUCTION

With growing reports of the intensification of work (Lozano, Hamplová, & Le Bourdais, 2016; Mauno, Kinnunen,

Rantanen, & Mäkikangas, 2015), employees' satisfaction with their work and nonwork lives is now a central concern

among a broad range of stakeholders. Therefore, this article examines the relationship between demographic vari-

ables and work–nonwork satisfaction, where work–nonwork satisfaction is conceptualised as a configuration of

Received: 2 January 2018 Revised: 25 April 2019 Accepted: 2 August 2019

DOI: 10.1111/1748-8583.12257

Hum Resour Manag J. 2020;30:133–148. © 2019 John Wiley & Sons Ltdwileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/hrmj 133

work satisfaction and nonwork satisfaction. Our understanding of work–nonwork satisfaction differs from that of

traditional work–family scholarship, which has traditionally been underpinned by two competing hypotheses: the

“scarcity hypothesis”and the “expansion hypothesis.”The former asserts that individuals have limited resources and

that the more roles and responsibilities they have in the home and work domains, the more conflict there will be

between the two (Greenhaus & Beutell, 1985). The latter asserts that multiple roles may lead to more fulfilment and

enrichment (Greenhaus & Powell, 2006).

Although there has been some support for the expansion hypothesis, the scarcity hypothesis has dominated

much of the extant scholarly literature and broader social debates about work–nonwork satisfaction (Gatrell, Bur-

nett, Cooper, & Sparrow, 2013). Relatedly, work–nonwork satisfaction scholarship has focused primarily on the ante-

cedents of work–life conflict, the relationship between work–life conflict and demographic variables such as age,

marital status, and age of children (Gatrell et al., 2013; Lyness & Judiesch, 2014). Consequently, there has been

longstanding interest in how demographic variables operate as moderators, grouping variables, or control variables

and their influence on the relationship between work–life conflict (as a mediator) and work-related variables as ante-

cedents of work satisfaction or nonwork satisfaction. Demographic variables, therefore, have been understood as

antecedents of work–life conflict or work–life enrichment. Taking a different view and contributing further to extant

scholarship, this article uses a set-theoretic approach to test the relationship between demographic variables as pre-

dictors and work–nonwork satisfaction as an outcome.

In taking this alternative approach, the article makes three contributions to our understanding of the relationship

between demographic variables and work–nonwork satisfaction. First, it adopts a set-theoretic approach, fuzzy-set

qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) as a configurational asymmetric technique to conceptualise work–nonwork

satisfaction as a configuration of work satisfaction and nonwork satisfaction. Traditional symmetric techniques

explain linear causality and the net effects of antecedents on outcomes. However, they have limited capacity to

engage with the complexity of causation where an outcome derives from the combined effects of several anteced-

ents (Woodside, 2013). Therefore, adopting a technique that engages with complex causality mirrors managerial

practice where, for example, managerial decisions are regularly driven by a combination of factors (Leischnig,

Henneberg, & Thornton, 2016). By adopting fsQCA, the article also engages with the interdependency of demo-

graphic factors and their impact on work–nonwork satisfaction.

Second, fsQCA suggests that variables leading to the presence of an outcome are different from those that lead

to the absence of an outcome (Ragin, 2008a). Therefore, we investigate which demographic features operate as con-

ditions (predictors) of work–nonwork satisfaction rather than grouping variables, control variables, or moderators.

Third, using fsQCA, we apply equifinality to identify how many different configurations can lead to the same out-

come (Fiss, Cambré, & Marx, 2013; Ragin, 2008b), again reflecting the complexity of human behaviour more explic-

itly (Fiss, 2011; Woodside, 2013).

2|THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

The configuration approach originates from set theory (Cantor, 1972), a branch of mathematics focusing on sets as

units of analysis. Whereas it is relatively new in contemporary organisation studies, its specific value is that it

engages directly with the complexity of relationships within organisations (Fiss et al., 2013). It identifies how differ-

ent sets of interconnected variables lead to specific outcomes compared with regression-based techniques that

focus solely on how the net effect of different variables leads to specific outcomes (Woodside, 2013). It also explains

how, although unlimited numbers of possible combinations of variables may exist, only a few are of practical value

(Farivar, Cameron, & Yaghoubi, 2016; Fiss et al., 2013). Therefore, drawing on configuration approach, we conceptu-

alise work–nonwork satisfaction as a configuration comprising work satisfaction and nonworksatisfaction.

Whereas conventional econometric approaches focus on perceived optimal configurations with the underly-

ing principles of linearity and unifinality, configurational theory also captures equifinality as discussed above,

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