Effective factors of role conflict in women and its effect on family conflicts in Hamadan

Introduction Consequent changes of development seriously changes ruling rules of human beings life and causes social, identity and role related deep impacts especially in some kinds of groups. Women are the most important group which their identity, status, role and life quality during development has been transformed. Women have to balance identity, power and status with family roles and responsibilities often in conflict and psychological distancing from the spouse resulting in tension, stress and strain. Knowledge evolution in recent age through new technologies and by changing economic relations has caused women iintellectual development, education level promotion, egalitarianism and their entrance to public arenas. But gender stereotypes and roles still force limitations on women participation and presence. . Material and Methods The method was survey and data gathered using a questionnaire designed by researcher containing 8 question groups. Nearly almost of questions was in Likert scale. Cronbach alpha for scale subgroups were above .70 and acceptable, showing that all subscales have good reliability. Population of study was 102773 women aged at 25-50 in Hamedan. Employed women of this population were 19166 people which 248 sample were selected through multi-stage cluster sampling and by Cochran sampling formula. Based on some theoretical view points such as role conflict theory, feminist theories about women status and socialization and scarcity hypothesis, a theoretical model was created and some variables were identified as independent including: gendered labor division, motherhood role performance, and conjunct and detached family network, positive attitude of women and men about women employment, believing to gender stereotypes. Role conflict feeling, familial, sexual and financial conflicts were as mediate and dependent variables. Study hypothesis includes: There is a relationship between gendered labor division and role conflict feeling of women. Familial relations amount have a positive relation with gendered labor division. Positive attitude toward women employment has a negative impact on role conflict feeling. Number of children and role conflict feeling are statistically related to each other. Role conflict feeling increases family conflicts. Believe to gender stereotypes increases role conflict feeling. Motherhood role performance increases role conflict feeling. Employed women education and income are related with role conflict feeling. Discussion of results and Conclusion Results of descriptive and inferential statistics show that gender labor division has the most percent at lower and higher intermediate level. Motherhood and positive attitude of men toward women job is at upper intermediate level. In contrast, believing to gender stereotypes is at lower intermediate level. There is a positive relationship between gender socialization with gender labor division, attitude of husband and wife to occupation and women believing to gender stereotypes. It also shows that role conflict gender labor division has an important effect on women’s family conflict. Gender labor division of 43.8 percent of women at home was upper intermediate. 41.5 percent had lower intermediate, 8.8 percent high and 5.8 percent had low gender labor division. So, gender labor division has nearly high incidence. Motherhood role performance of 46.5 percent of respondents was at high intermediate level. 31.5 percent had lower intermediate, 14.3 percent high and 7.7 percent low motherhood role performance. So nearly 60 percent of women had higher intermediate or high motherhood role performance. One of conflict sources within family is negative attitude of men toward women employment; Most of our respondents have positive evaluation toward women employment. Results also show that believing to gender stereotypes among respondents is at low level. Role conflict feeling of 44.2 percent of employed women was at lower intermediate level. It was for 40.4 percent at high intermediate, for 8.1 percent high and for 7.3 percent at low level. Therefore, it can be concluded that low role conflict has more incidence among women. Familial conflicts at population were at moderate level, so that low and high family conflicts percents are nearly equal. Sexual conflicts have some different status. So, these conflicts have the least incidence. But results show that financial conflicts have more incidence than others. Familial conflicts are at next order. Pearson correlation test of gender labor division and role conflict feeling is significant and the relation is positive. Positive attitudes of women and their spouses toward women employment with role conflict feeling. The Pearson coefficient of relation between positive attitudes of women toward their employment and role conflict feeling is somewhat greater than for men attitudes. Regression analysis of income impact on role conflict feeling is significant and the relation is positive but weak. Relationship of believing gender stereotypes and role conflict feeling is positive and weak. So that the greater believing gender stereotypes the greater role conflict feeling. Gender labor division is nearly at moderate level among respondents. Motherhood role performance is still high among women and this shows that many occupations have not weakened this role. Men have positive attitudes toward women job. In contrast, believing to gender stereotypes is low. Among all kinds of studied conflicts, financial ones are at top and sexual conflict at end order. So there is a need to provide some kind consultation for families. There is a positive relationship between gender socialization with gender labor division, attitude of husband and wife to occupation and women believing to gender clichés. It also shows that role conflict has an important effect on women’s family conflict. Gender labor division increases role conflict feeling. Families should seriously reconsider this duty within family. Conflicts are contagion from one arena to another. Therefore, weak management of one kind of conflicts can lead to its contagion