The impact of work on marriage in three cultures: a qualitative study.

The present study examined the impact of work on marriage across three cultures: London (UK), Hong Kong, and Beijing (China), via qualitative interviews. A total of 79 respondents were interviewed in the three cultures, and template analysis was used as the method of analysis. The results showed that although one-third to half of the respondents from each culture mentioned the negative interference of work on their marriages, there were cultural differences in the aspects of negative work interference the respondents focused on. More British respondents mentioned time-based conflict than their counterparts from Hong Kong and Beijing. About half of the respondents from each culture reported that work did not interfere with their marriages and their family lives. Respondents from the three cultures mentioned the separation between work and family as a protective factor. More respondents from Hong Kong mentioned having acceptable work hours/work load was important. These observed findings are in line with the postulations of modernization and cultural value theories, which suggest that in modernized societies where independence is valued, intimacy and love in personal relationships are emphasized. Individuals from these societies may be more sensitive to time-based work-family conflict as a result. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]