Work-Family Conflict and Mental Health of Women in Banking and Teaching Profession

The present study investigated the work-family conflict and mental health of women in teaching&bank employment belonging to two age groups, viz., early (ErA) and mid adulthood (MdA) were explored. Work-Family Conflict Scale and Mental Health Inventory were administered to 50 (ErA-28&MdA-22) and 62 bank employees (ErA-30&MdA-32). Main effect of age was significant for work-to-family conflict, positive self evaluation, perception of reality, integration of personality, autonomy, group oriented attitude and overall mental health scores. Mam effect of profession was significant only for positive self evaluation, perception of reality and group oriented attitude. Interaction effect of age and profession was significant only for autonomy. Within the teachers, ErA as compared to MdA scored higher on work-family conflict areas and lower on all the dimensions of mental health but none of the differences were significant except work-to-family conflict. Similar trends were observed within the bank employed women also but differences were significant on all the dimensions of mental health, except environmental mastery. On mental health areas, at ErA phase, teachers as compared to bank employees scored significantly higher on positive self evaluation, perception of reality and overall mental health. On the other hand, women belonging to the two professions were similar to each other on all areas of mental health at MdA. Results have been analyzed in the light of the changes that take place in the lives of the working women as they pass from early to mid adulthood in the two different professions.