Family-Work Conflict, Information Use, and Social Competence: A Case Study of Married Postgraduate Students in the Faculty of Education, University of Ibadan, Nigeria

Introduction Managing the conflict between family and work obligations is an important issue. The demands of family and work pose critical challenges to individuals, researchers, and organisations. Because of the openness of the economy, political changes, and changes in societal values, the balance of job and family obligations has shifted dramatically. In the western part of Nigeria, men have traditionally played the role of breadwinner in the family. With the shifts in family and work domains, individuals must face and adapt to the inter-role conflict (Frone and Rice, 1987). Family-work conflict a source of pressure, and can cause problems with health, work performance, and so on. The growing number of dual career couples and working mothers with young children have made it more likely that both men and women have both family and work obligations. These changes have led to considerable scholarship on work and families, including research on work-family conflict (Greenhaus and Beutel, 1985). Family-work conflict has been associated with a number of dysfunctional outcomes (Bacharach, Bamberger, and Conley, 1990), decreased family and occupational well-being (Kinnunen and Mauno, 1998), and job and life dissatisfaction (Netermeyer, Boles, and McMurrian, 1996). Netermeyer, et al., (1996) observe that work and family are two important domains that are not compatible and that there are usually conflicts between the two domains. The domain flexibility hypothesis predicts that the work domain is a greater source of conflict than the family domain for both men and women. The domain salience hypothesis predicts that the family domain is a greater source of conflict for women and the work domain a greater source of conflict for men (Izraeli 1988). Studies reveal that those most satisfied with their work tend to be less satisfied with family responsibilities and vice visa. Research shows participation in one role is made more difficult by virtue of participation in the other (Greenhaus and Beutel, 1985). Information use by students is also an important topic. The amount of information needed and received depends on the complexity of the choice or question for which the information is needed. Information is indispensable in human development, and is the basis for the progress of human civilization and society (Aboyade in Ikonne (1995). To Nzotta (1985), human beings and human societies depend so much on information for existence that it can be said "No information, No life, No society. " Aiyepeku (1982), in his report on the use of information by policymakers in Nigeria, states that, "the level of information consciousness" is a deterrent to the use of information by these policymakers. He also reports that the level of information familiarity could be an obstacle to the use of any kind of information. Family and work are two important focal points in an adult's life. The role expectations of these domains lead to conflicts that have a connection to the use of information. The ability to establish, maintain, and develop constructive social relationships with other people in the work environment (Frone, et al., 1992) is related to psychological distress and mental dissatisfaction (Greenhaus and Beutell, 1985). Researchers have assessed family-work conflict with other variables. According to Frone, et al., (1992), operationalization of work-family conflict varies from study to study, and limits the ability to generalize. To Aryee, et al. (1999), the increased participation of married women in the labour force in the US and other industrialized countries has led to a growing realization that the work and family domains are highly interdependent. He observes that adults in dual earner and single parent households must constantly strive to balance work and family requirements. Research has also shown that those with a good level of social competence and ability to use information are more likely to withstand the stresses and strains of life, compared with less educationally-privileged people (Netermeyer, Boles, and McMurrian, 1996). …