The dilemma of choosing between work and family: The role of social distance in advising friends or strangers

Abstract: The prevalence of work and family in people’s lives combined with limited time and resources often results in a moral decision between work and family, posing a dilemma between hedonistic values for work and altruistic values for family. This study aimed to understand the processes of decision-making in work-family dilemmas and tested three approaches. Therefore, the construal-level theory, time perspectives and logic of appropriateness were introduced. In line with research on construal-level theory and dilemmas, the impact of psychological distance and construal level theory on the decision was examined. Operationalizing social distance, participants were asked to either advise a closely related person (group 1) or someone they just met (group 2) on four work-family dilemmas. The total sample consisted of 212 participants from Germany (49.5%), Sweden (35.8%) and other countries (14.2%). t-tests between the two treatment groups did not reveal significant differences in the dilemma advice (p > .05). Exploratory analyses did not find time perspectives to be related to the decision (p > .005) but work-family centrality was found to be significantly associated to the decision-making in the dilemma (p <.005). With the limitations of the study in mind, the construal level theory could not be supported but values have shown to impact attitudinal decisions, supporting the logic of appropriateness. In work-family conflicts, it, therefore, does not matter whom one advises but whether the advisor values work or family more, influences the given advice. Based on this study, implications for further research are pointed out.