The health effects of work and family role characteristics: Gender and race comparisons

Many studies have documented the benefits of work and family roles for both physical and mental health. A number of these studies have suggested that work and family roles are beneficial to the degree that they entail rewarding relationships and activities. Using data from the National Survey of Families and Households (N = 10633; 17 percent African-American), this paper examines three questions: (a) Are gender and race differences in health explained by gender and race differences in work and family roles? (b) How do characteristics of work and family roles contribute to health? (c) Are there gender and race differences in the effects of work and family role characteristics? Simple occupancy of work and family roles does not explain away gender and race differences in health. Several characteristics of work and family roles have significant health effects, but there are few significant gender and race differences in those effects, and role characteristics do not change the pattern of gender and race differences in health.