Workaholism, work stress, work-life imbalance: exploring gender's role

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to examine potential differences between male and female workaholics in relation to work stress and work-life imbalance; also to test for gender as a moderator in the relation between workaholism with work stress and work-life imbalance. Design/methodology/approach - An exploratory approach was used to examine employees on workaholism, work stress, and work-life imbalance. A separate variances t-test tested gender differences in the study variables. Hierarchical regression analyses tested the potential moderator effect of gender on the work stress-workaholism and work-life imbalance-workaholism relations. Findings - It was found that work stress and work-life imbalance correlated with workaholism, regardless of gender. Gender did not moderate the relations between workaholism with work stress and work-life imbalance. Research limitations/implications - Limited generalizability between cultures was a limitation; future research should collect data from diverse races. Reliance on self-report measures is another limitation; a more accurate picture could be attained by gathering data from other sources. Practical implications - There is some support to the notion that the once traditional roles of men and women may not predominate in today's workforce; women may be taking a more career-minded view, while men are becoming more family-oriented. Thus, it is imperative that intervention programs focus on decreasing workaholism in both men and women. Also, such interventions as on-site childcare, flexible work time, and telecommuting should be included. Originality/value - The data were analyzed with a composite variable to capture workaholism in a continuous fashion. Unlike the traditional median split technique, with the composite approach, one is able to use data from all participants who are not missing data.