Workplace family-supportive programmes: Predictors of employed parents' importance ratings

Little research has examined the predictors of employed parents' perceived importance of family-supportive programmes. Therefore, this study examined the relationship of gender, parenting demands (number of children living at home and age of youngest child), family-related tangible support (spouse tangible support and other-family tangible support), and work-family conflict (work->family and family->work conflict) to the perceived importance of six family-supportive programmes (flextime, compressed work week, job sharing, child-care assistance, work at home and reduced work hours). Survey data were obtained from a sample of 252 employed parents. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that age of youngest child and family->work conflict were the most consistent predictors. Implications of the findings for the outcome evaluation of family-supportive programmes are discussed.