Walking in your shoes: Interactive effects of child care responsibility difference and gender similarity on supervisory family support and work-related outcomes

The present study investigates factors that influence the effects of employees’ child care responsibility on their turnover intentions and job satisfaction. Results of a field study using 183 dyads of employees and their supervisors showed that child care responsibility difference between supervisors and employees and the similarity of their gender interacted to predict supervisory family support and turnover intentions and job satisfaction. Specifically, for cross-gender dyads of supervisors and employees, when supervisors had more child care responsibilities than their employees, they tended to provide more family support, which in turn was related to their employees’ turnover intentions and job satisfaction. No such effects were found for same-gender dyads. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.