Surviving two jobs and parenthood may well be the acid test of the 21st century. Strategies are needed to prevent stress overload and burnout. As large numbers of married couples and single parents work outside the home and have parenting responsibilities, concern over the stress caused by these multiple roles has grown. The combination of work and family roles generates a spillover of stressful experiences in these two areas. Spillover occurs when the demands of work and family roles are incompatible, in that the demands of one role affect participation in the other.
Spillover can have both positive and negative effects.
Women seem better able to avoid bringing home stress into the workplace. This may be due to the different socialization of males and females with regard to housework and child care. Even though women perform the majority of household chores, they do not show these burdens in terms of increased stress in the workplace. For example, a husband's demanding day at work increases the chances he will not be as effective a partner or father that evening. For example, a woman has a very stressful day at work, then goes home and argues with her husband that evening, causing stress for him at home.