Work, family and the migrant worker : Anomie theory perspectives

Against the backdrop of significant migration changes and the further growth projected in the diversity of the workforce, we explore the experiences of the work life interface amongst migrant workers, from a cultural perspective. We seek to understand how different cultural settings influence such experiences. We aim to guide future research in this area of inquiry, especially as the workforce becomes increasingly multicultural. We report the results of a qualitative exploratory study through the lens of institutional anomie theory. Our findings and theoretical explanation lend strong support to understanding that the greater the gap in the cultural orientation of the worker’s home country and new country, the greater the disequilibrium and anomie in the work-family interface. This study also demonstrates that cross-cultural variables have a direct impact on the work-life interface experienced by people moving from one cultural orientation to another