The Experience of Work-Family Conflict: Does Being the Only Child Matter?

A lack of resistance resources in the family, such as a lack of sibling support, might cause the family to be more prone to family crises; however, little if anything is known about whether being the only child will influence the experience of work-family conflict (a family crisis). Using an online questionnaire sample of 622 Chinese employees, we investigated the influence of only child status on work-family conflict and further explored the moderating effect of only child status on the relationship between work-family conflict and its performance outcomes. Analyses revealed that being the only child would spend less time on family responsibilities, thereby decreasing the level of family-to-work conflict; in addition, being the only child would ease the negative impact of work-to-family conflict on family performance. The recommendations for future studies, implications of this study, and the need for further research on only child’s work-family conflict experience are discussed.