Cross-cultural work and family research: A review of the literature

Research aimed at understanding the intersection of employees' work and family lives has blossomed over the past few years, and, in more recent times, has begun to have an increasingly global focus. Conducting research in diverse cultural settings is important given that work and family dynamics are entrenched in larger societal contexts, such as gender role norms, national policies, and cultural values. However, the literature has not developed in a programmatic way, making it difficult to build upon the current knowledge base. The goal of this study is to review extant cross-cultural work and family published research in an effort to synthesize and assess the current state of the literature, with a focus on theoretical logic and methodology. We do this by reporting descriptive statistics regarding which global regions have received the most attention, the way culture is considered analytically and theoretically, and information about measurement. Through this review we aim to provide scholars with a more complete understanding of the state of cross-cultural work-family knowledge and offer recommendations for future research that will facilitate theoretical advancement. •Anglo regions have received the most attention, followed by Eastern Europe.•Many studies focus on mean differences across cultures in work-family constructs.•The review of theory suggests that collectivism is the most commonly used theoretical explanation.•There is a great deal of inconsistency in the way theory has been applied.