Work-family conflicts, family leisure activities, and family functioning in Hong Kong

Work is perceived to be a major barrier to the amount and quality of time available for family use. Both adequate time and quality time are important for the wellbeing of a family. Among the various patterns in the use of family time, there is ample evidence of a positive relationship between participation in family leisure and family functioning. Despite the persistent trend of long working hours in Hong Kong, how work affects the involvement of workers in family leisure is under-examined in the region. Guided by an ecological-systemic perspective, a random sample telephone survey was conducted in November 2010. A total of 1,002 respondents were successfully interviewed. From the results of the survey, it was found that work-family conflict has restricted involvement in family leisure activities and increased the burden on members of the family who are responsible for organising family leisure activities. Furthermore, work-family conflict, together with the burden of organising family leisure activities, has cumulative negative impact on family functioning. A family-friendly work policy, including childcare support, flexible working hours, and employer-sponsored family leisure activities, should be further promoted in Hong Kong.