Trouble at the Border ?

The present study addresses three main questions: 1) Are schedule control and job autonomy associated differently with the work-home interface? 2) Do schedule control and job autonomy interact with different forms of work-home role blurring to influence levels of work-to-home conflict? 3) Do any of these observed patterns of association differ for women and men? We apply and refine a gender view of border theory and propositions about resourceful versus demanding work conditions in the work-home interface. Analyses of the National Survey of the Changing Workforce (2002) reveal that schedule control and job autonomy are associated positively with work-home role blurring, although the effects are stronger among men. In addition, the association between work-home role blurring and work-to-home conflict is greater at higher levels of schedule control. The findings challenge the view that schedule control and job autonomy uniformly function as resources that help people avoid or manage trouble at the work-home border. Moreover, observed gender differences are inconsistent with egalitarian views about contemporary work-home role arrangements. We discuss the implications for border theory and outline future research directions on gender, work, and the work-home interface.