Occupational balance, work and life satisfaction in working cohabiting parents in Sweden

Abstract

Introduction: Occupational balance is the experience of having the right amount and right variation between work, domestic work, leisure, rest, and sleep. There is limited knowledge about which factors predict parents’ combined occupational balance, and if the combined occupational balance is associated with work and life satisfaction. Aim: The first aim was to explore whether domestic work and childcare at baseline predicted combined occupational balance at follow-up among working cohabiting parents. The second aim was to explore associations between different combinations of occupational balance, and work and life satisfaction at follow-up. Method: A sample of 139 cohabiting parents responded to a questionnaire. Cohabiting parents can experience their occupational balance differently, and in the present study their experiences were divided into high and low after the median. The parents’ balance was then combined in terms of high-high, high-low and low-low. Associations between childcare, domestic work, work and life satisfaction, and combined occupational balance were analysed with multinomial logistic regression analyses. Results: Satisfaction with the division of domestic work predicted a high-high occupational balance in parent couples. Associations were found between high-high as well as high-low combined occupational balance and life satisfaction, and between high-high occupational balance and work satisfaction. Conclusions: It seems important for both parents in a couple to experience satisfaction with the division of domestic work to experience high occupational balance as well as work and life satisfaction.