Achieving a satisfactory work-life balance is widely recognised as vital for wellbeing, productivity, and social equality. However, the accelerating pace of working life, the spread of dual-earner households, and persistent gendered expectations about family responsibilities continue to strain individuals’ ability to maintain such balance. While the Nordic welfare model is often portrayed as exemplary in promoting gender equality, less is known about how gender and family life stage interact with psychosocial work factors in Finland’s contemporary labour market.
This study investigates how Finnish men and women experience work-life balance in relation to psychosocial work environment variables—specifically, perceived work demands and social support at work—across different family life stages. The analysis focuses on whether these associations differ by gender and parenthood status, illuminating the so-called “gendered life-course” perspective in Finnish working life.
The study draws on nationally representative data from the Finnish Quality of Work Life Survey 2018 (N = 3790). Using binary logistic regression, separate models for men and women were estimated. Family life stages were classified by age and the presence and age of dependent children. Work-life balance was measured via a single-item indicator of satisfaction with balance between work and private life, dichotomised into “high” versus “other.” Psychosocial work environment factors included indices for perceived work demands and social support at work.
Among women, family life stage was significantly associated with work-life balance: those with young children reported notably lower odds of achieving a high balance compared with women without children living at home. For men, family life stage was not a significant predictor. Across both genders, high social support at work was positively associated with good work-life balance, while high work demands were negatively associated.