Title: Etiology, consequences and solutions of working women's work-life conflict: a qualitative
study
Version: 2 Date: 18 Oct 2023
Reviewer's report:
The author found that there are four main categories of conflict and two main categories of
the consequences of conflict. According to the findings, the author also indicated that the
conflict might decrease by the three resolution methods focused on the individual, other, and
organizational dimensions. These findings contribute to a preliminary understanding of work-
life balance and potential resolutions for work-life conflict. Some of my comments on this study
are as stated below:
Introduction
1. Background information on expected work-life balance and work-life conflict involving the
female employee in the study context would help to understand the issues discussed in this study.
2. In the third paragraph of the article, the author summarized the reasons for work-related
conflicts based on previous research. However, I am somewhat puzzled as to why the author
then reintroduces these conflicts in relation to work (references 21-23). Clear clarification is
needed to make it easy for readers to understand. (Page3, Line 13-14)
3. There are some typographical errors in the article that need correction.
…in some studies The causes of these …(Page 4, Line 14)
4. The purpose of the current study is to understand the causes of conflict in women working
in the university and to express the impact of these conflicts on their lives. However, the author
only discussed the impact of work-related conflicts on work-related consequences, e.g., job
satisfaction, low performance, and intention to leave (Page3, Line 8-10). The author did not
mention their effects on personal life. It is recommended that the author supplement the literature
regarding the impact of work-related conflicts on personal life.
Material and methods
This is OK.
Inclusion and exclusion criteria
The author should explain the reasons for choosing the cutoff point of 40 or provide relevant
literature. (Page 3, Line32-34)
Ethical considerations
The author should provide additional clarification on how the data of participants who drop out
of the study will be handled. (Page 4, Line4-5)
Data collection and analysis
1. I'm a little confused about the descriptions of the interview location. The author mentions that
the interview location is determined by the participants, but in the 12th line, it is stated that the
interviews are conducted in a private space. (Page 4, Line 11-13( How does the author ensure
that the location chosen by the participants is indeed a private space?
2. The author used the varimax sampling of participants to increase the validity of the findings.
If the author could provide additional descriptions for the varimax sampling, e.g., related
references, it would help readers' comprehension.
3. The total percentage of some variables does not add up to 100%. For example, the working
hours per week (99.99%), conflict of score (99.99%), type of employment (99.99%), work
experience (105.24%), and age (99.98%). The total number of participants for "work experience
" should be 19, not 20. Please recheck the value of the variables in Table 1).
4. In the sentences “All had more than 25 years of work experience (R=25-33) and 47-62 years
of age.” What does the abbreviation "R" stand for? I believe "R" represents the range. However,
"R" is not a commonly used statistical value, and the author should avoid using abbreviations.
(Page 7, Line 3)
5. In the data analysis process, the codes were checked several times by the research team. It
was suggested that the author would explicitly state the number of checks conducted. (Page 7,
Line 5-6)
6. Regarding the main category and sub-categories of the experiences of WLC descriptions,
some of them are unnecessary as readers can directly refer to Table 2 for the information. I
suggest deleting them or combining them with the result section. (Page 7, Line 6-17)
Result
1. In the personality traits, the author's description of personality traits appears to be in contrast to
what the participants have conveyed. Based on the participants' accounts, personality traits seem
to contribute to an increase in conflicts. Personality traits can have both positive and negative
impacts on conflicts, and I recommend the author amend this description accordingly. (Page 8,
Line 13-Page 9, Line 4)
2. The author emphasizes the importance of empowerment in addressing the lack of personal
skills. However, empowerment is typically granted by the organization and may not be strongly
linked to individual skills. I recommend the author to further elucidate the connection between
empowerment and individual skills. (Page 9, Line 5-12)
3. In the work requirements section, the author indicates that working hours, role overload, and
ambiguity of duties might influence WLC. It is recommended that the author provide additional
clarification on why these three factors primarily constitute work requirements, which will offer
readers a clearer understanding of the impact of work requirements on work-life conflict. (Page
10, Line 6-13)
4. In some descriptions of sub-categories, the author did not provide complete references. For
example, the author noted that many studies show that WLC is a risk factor for people's health
(40), however, there was only one citation. It was recommended the author supplement some
references in the descriptions. (Page 11, Line 17-18)
…On the contrary, studies show that WLC induces stress in employees and leads to
organizational underachievement(44). (Page 12, Line 24-25)
…Most researchers have identified emotional coping as the most effective factor involved in
the relationship between stress and illness. (Page 13, Line 16-18)
5. In the emotion-focused solutions, there were some contradictions in this paragraph. The author
first mentions that individuals who frequently employ emotional coping mechanisms are more
prone to stress-related illnesses and declining physical health. However, the author later indicates
that the avoidance coping style is the most effective resolution method. The content does not
align with the section's title. It is recommended that the author reorganize this section. (Page
13, Line 14-19)
6. The results from the study conducted with Holahan and Moss may not necessarily support the
author's argument, as the sample consisted of individuals with depression. The characteristics
of individuals with depression differ from the general population, and the findings may not be
generalizable to the broader population. It was recommended the author replace this reference
with related studies. (Page 13, Line 36-37)
7. The contents of the alternative ways of working section were not consistent with the contents
of Table 2 (information support and others’ support). The author would ensure noun agreement
throughout the manuscript.
Discussion
1. Again, the author did not provide complete references for their inference. For example, “The
relationship between personality traits and work-family conflict has been investigated by many
researchers so far (60)” only cited one reference. The author should supplement some references
in their inference. (Page 15, Line 22-23)
“In another study, researchers investigated the relationship between role expectations in work
and family and its contribution to conflict.” No reference cited.
2. In the discussion section, the terms used by the author are inconsistent with the results or Table
2, causing significant confusion for the readers. For example, the author indicated that individual
support and informational support were the most prominent themes found in the content of the
interviews in the fifth paragraph of the discussion. However, the results section showed that
the lack of emotional, instrumental, and work support produced the conflict. Consistency of
descriptions should be maintained throughout the entire manuscript, which might help readers
realize the contents of the authors. It was suggested that the author reorganize the usage of the
term throughout the entire manuscript.
3. The inference of cultural factors might be quite conclusive. The author should provide more
literature to support the inference. (Page 16, Line 16-18)
4. The result of the present study showed that the participants expected their managers to have
the right managerial perspectives to manage tasks and workloads. However, the result of Wong
et al. indicated the factors that influence WLB, which might not support the inference of the
author. (Page 16, Line 32-34)
8. The author indicated the importance of child care and showed that finding a solution to
this issue could significantly affect WLC. Nonetheless, The data does not demonstrate the age
distribution of the participants' children. According to the introduction section, full-time women
whose children are less than 13 years old are the most stressed, which could lead to more WLC.
(Page 3, Line 4-6) The assumption can be valid if the author can provide additional information
on the age distribution of the participants' children.