Research On The Effect Of Family Caregiving On Work Participation And Job Satisfaction Of Married Groups From The Gender Perspective

With economic development and cultural innovation,China’s population structure has shown a trend of aging,fewer children and non-marriage.In this social context,the state is actively implementing a "new fertility policy" to adjust the demographic structure and stimulate the demographic dividend.However,the increasing demand for family care has a significant impact on the work participation and job satisfaction of married people.In a twoincome family structure,married people generally face "childbirth-employment" conflicts and "work-family" conflicts.Therefore,the caregiving problem of "one old and one young" has a profound impact on the important life decisions of middle-aged people,such as job search,marriage,and childbirth,and the choices of different individuals also have a subtle impact on the social structure.This paper uses the data of the China Family Panel Survey(CFPS)in 2018,from the perspective of social gender theory,and combines the theory of time distribution and role strain theory to analyze the status quo of family care,the influencing factors of work participation and job satisfaction of the married group.The results of the study show that: first,married women are the primary caregivers of minor children,and the phenomenon of "fatherlessness" is still prevalent;the primary caregivers of elderly parents are men,which is in line with the traditional cultural concept of "raising children for old age" and the gender role of married men.Second,primary caregivers of minor children are more likely to choose self-employment during the day,and there are significant gender differences in the impact of family caregiving on the work intensity of the married group,reflecting the penetration of gender expectations into individual behavior.Finally,job satisfaction was higher for the married group who were employed by another person/company/organization;job satisfaction for the married group showed a decreasing trend with increasing job intensity.In addition,the "internalization" of gender norms by the married group allowed them to quickly adapt to the caregiving expectations of different social roles,as evidenced by the insignificant effects of caring for elderly parents and caring for minor children on job satisfaction for married men and women,respectively.Based on this,this paper puts forward policy recommendations from the levels of individuals,families,enterprises,governments and society to ensure the work participation of married groups,promote individual work-family balance and improve job satisfaction: In terms of individuals,calling on married people to improve self-efficacy,strive to realize personal value;pay attention to the positive impact of family on work,improve job satisfaction;use third-party agencies to relieve family care pressure;get rid of "men are strong and women are weak" and "men dominate outside,women dominate inside" traditional ideas.As far as the family is concerned,it is recommended that both husband and wife participate in childcare and elderly care;encourage more communication and exchanges between husband and wife;formulate personal career plans,and actively contribute to the family.As far as enterprises are concerned,it is recommended to introduce flexible work policies;provide necessary work support;and pay attention to addressing gender bias and discrimination at work.As far as the government is concerned,it should reduce the cost of childcare,increase the supply of public services,and improve the social security system;vigorously promote the development of gender equality and create a family-friendly culture.As far as society is concerned,promote family education and awareness-raising activities to strengthen the public’s awareness and understanding of work-family balance;further improve the social support system for professional women;pay attention to the value-guiding role of mass culture.