The Cross-Gender Equivalence of Strains and Gains from Occupying Multiple Roles Among Dual-Earner Couples

Objective. This study tests for gender equivalence of measures designed to tap strains and gains resulting from occupying both family and work roles. Design. Participants were part of a substudy at 5 of 10 sites participating in the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development. There were 121 dual-earner families with complete data at 15 months and 116 dual-earner families with complete data at 36 months. Multiple group confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to test for gender factor structure equivalence and gender mean structure equivalence. Results. At 15 months, family interferes with work (FIW) and work interferes with family (WIF) were equivalent across gender, and work-family gains (GWF) was partially equivalent across gender. At 36 months, FIW and GWF were equivalent, and WIF was partially equivalent. There were no latent mean structure differences at either time point. Conclusions. Although there were more similarities than differences, this study suggests that men and women internalize somewhat different meanings of GWF at 15 months and WIF at 36 months.