A qualitative investigation into the meaning of family well-being from the perspective of part-time professionals

Through analysis of interviews conducted in 1996-98 with reduced-load professionals and managers in organizations, this study examines in-depth the meaning of a good family life from the perspective of those seeking to enhance their personal and family experience by cutting back on hours devoted to work. The results suggest that the concept of family well-being is more complex and multi-faceted than prior research has indicated. Six different dimensions of family well-being are identified through examination of recurrent themes in the interviews: (1) spending high quality time with family members; (2) being able to relax in free time; (3) emotional well-being and health of family members; (4) high quality communication and support; (5) high quality child care and education; (6) satisfaction with work and work load at home. Finally, three paradigms of family well-being derived from interview data are proposed: Family well-being as effective parenting, family well-being as love and being together, family well-being as peace and harmony.