COPING AND SUBJECTIVE WELLBEING IN WOMEN WITH

MULTIPLE ROLES

KIRAN RAO, MRIDULA APTE & D.K. SUBBAKRISHNA

ABSTRACT
Background: Married, working women experience a considerable amount of
strain from their multiple roles. At the same time, studies indicate that they
enjoy a high level of wellbeing. While the nature of employment and the level of
spousal support have been examined in relation to wellbeing, the role of coping
styles has not received much attention.
Aim: To examine the role of work-related factors, availability of support and
coping styles as predictors of wellbeing.
Method: Sixty married, working women were individually interviewed with regard
to reasons for employment and support availability, and administered the Coping
Checklist and Subjective Wellbeing Inventory.
Results: On stepwise multiple regression analysis, greater use of social support
seeking and less use of denial as coping styles, absence of multiple role strain,
working to be nancially independent, availability of support and refusal of job
promotion were signicant predictors of wellbeing.
Conclusion: In working women with multiple roles, enhancing problem and emo-
tion focused coping by strengthening the use of the support network is important
for wellbeing.

INTRODUCTION

More and more women are joining the work force and having to cope with the demands of
being a wage earner, wife and mother. There is widespread concern that a woman's involve-
ment in these multiple roles is detrimental to her physical and mental wellbeing. Two models
have been put forth to understand the relationship between multiple roles and wellbeing
(Baruch & Barnett, 1986). The scarcity hypothesis postulates that since human energy is
limited, overload and conict present in carrying out multiple roles, results in guilt and
anxiety. Consequently, the more roles one occupies the more wellbeing is impaired.
In contrast, the enhancement hypothesis proposes that multiple role investments bring
status, privileges and increased self-esteem and compensate for the role strain. There is
more support for the latter model, with a number of studies reporting that employed
women, in general, are higher in wellbeing and lower in psychological distress than women
who have devoted themselves to family life (Noor, 1995). Being employed gives women a

International Journal of Social Psychiatry. Copyright & 2003 Sage Publications (London, Thousand Oaks and
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176 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SOCIAL PSYCHIATRY 49(3)

greater sense of self-esteem as well as providing an opportunity to share supportive relation-

ships with other co-workers (Bala, 1998). However, the nature of employment, economic
compensation, working conditions and levels of control and autonomy in decision making
are important variables to be considered (Lennon, 1994; Pugliesi, 1995).
Marital status is another factor known to play a signicant role in wellbeing. Married
women are higher in wellbeing than single women (Diener et al., 1999). However, the quality
of the marital relationship and the level of spousal support are important determinants
(Hirsch & Rapkin, 1986; Emmons et al., 1990; Chandra et al., 1995; Phillips & Imho,
1997). On the other hand, parenthood shows mixed results. The benets of employment
for married women are eroded if childcare facilities are not adequate (McBride, 1990; Venca-
tesan, 1996).
Coping behaviour is an important mediator between stress and health outcomes. Broadly,
coping is divided into two types: problem focused, if it helps to solve the problem and emo-
tion focused, if it helps in reducing the associated distress (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984). While
researchers would like to believe that problem focused coping is more benecial to wellbeing,
the evidence is equivocal (Thoits, 1995). Most studies that have examined the relationship of
coping styles to health outcomes have reported the use of denial and avoidance coping to be
associated with greater psychological distress (Coyne & Downey, 1991).
Gender dierences concerning coping suggest that, when dierences in situational and
social factors are controlled, men and women use problem solving coping to the same
extent. However, men and women dier in their use of emotion focused coping. Men tend
to use denial and negative distraction techniques, while women use more acceptance and
religious coping. A consistent nding is that women use more social support seeking than
men do (Thoits, 1995). Studies examining the coping styles of working women have reported
that avoidance coping is related to increased distress (Wanamaker & Bird, 1990), while cog-
nitive coping acts as a buer (Paden & Buehler,1995).
In India, women comprise 15% of the work force in the organized sector (Government of
India, 1997). Research done in India on working women is consistent with the western litera-
ture that these women are high on wellbeing (Nathawat & Mathur, 1993). However, per-
ceptions of a woman's role remain tradition bound. Though she works outside the house,
her primary responsibilities as wife and mother cannot be compromised (Ramu, 1987;
Roopnarine et al., 1992). Men in dual-earner families involve themselves in childcare to
some extent, but not in domestic chores (Ramu, 1987; Chandra et al., 1995). A few studies
that have looked at coping behaviour report that the use of avoidance coping or self-
blame leads to greater psychological distress (Sahu & Misra, 1995), while the use of problem
focused coping and social support are more adaptive (Agarwal, 1994). An understanding of
adaptive coping styles can be used in the prevention of distress and the promotion of well-
being.
The present study examined work-related factors, support availability and coping styles as
contributors to subjective wellbeing in married, employed women.

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 RAO ET AL.: SUBJECTIVE WELLBEING IN WOMEN WITH MULTIPLE ROLES 177

METHOD

Participants
The sample comprised 60 married women, working in the banking sector at the clerical level.
Bank employees were chosen as they form a homogenous group with regard to work condi-
tions, and enjoy a moderate degree of control at work with adequate economic com-
pensation. Women who were pregnant, had undergone surgery or were on treatment for a
physical or a psychiatric problem were excluded. Women were in the age group of 25
45 years with a mean age of 36.92 years (SD 5.06). The majority (N 57, 95%) were
Hindus in their religious aliation and were either graduates (N 45, 75%) or post-
graduates (N 15, 25%). Two-thirds (N 39, 65%) hailed from nuclear families and had
been married for an average of 12 years (Mean 12.15, SD 5.13). Majority had small
families with one (N 22, 36%) or two (N 29, 48%) children. Six women had no children
and three had three children each. Most had been employed before marriage and had been
working for about 15 years (Mean 15.22, SD 5.69). Spouses were older, in the age group
of 2955 years (Mean 41.47 years, SD 5.69), and were either graduates (N 40, 67%) or
post-graduates (N 20, 33%). One-third of the husbands (N 21, 35%) were working in the
banking sector.

Measures
Sociodemographic data sheet
Sociodemographic information pertaining to the index participant and spouse were recorded.
This included age, education, years employed, income, family type, years married, number of
children and age, education, occupation and income of the spouse.

The Coping Checklist (CCL)

The Coping Checklist (Rao et al., 1989) has 70 items describing a broad range of behavioural,
emotional and cognitive responses used to handle stress. It comprises seven subscales: one
problem focused (Problem Solving), ve emotion focused (Acceptance, Denial, Distraction
Positive, Distraction Negative and Religion/Faith) and Social Support Seeking, which is a
combination of both problem and emotion focused coping. Validity and reliability of the
tool have been established. It has a testretest reliability of 0.74 (one month) and internal con-
sistency for the full scale, as measured by the Cronbach's alpha, was 0.84 in this sample.

Subjective Wellbeing Inventory (SWBI)

Nagpal and Sell (1985), using the method of stepwise ethnographic exploration, developed
this inventory. It measures distress and wellbeing as experienced in day-to-day life con-
cerns. It comprises 95 items and each item is scored on a three-point Likert scale. Factor
analysis yielded 13 factors namely: Transcendence, Inadequate mental mastery, Expectation
achievement congruence, Primary group concern, Perceived ill-health, Family group support,
General wellbeing positive aect, Deciency in social contacts, Social support, General
wellbeing negative aect, Expectationachievement discrepancy, Condence in coping
and Adequacy of social contacts. The SWBI was developed and standardized in the Indian
setting and has adequate reliability and validity. An abbreviated version with 40 items and
11 factors is also available and has been used to study wellbeing in working women (Andrade

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178 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SOCIAL PSYCHIATRY 49(3)

et al., 1999). For the present study, the original version was preferred, as it is more compre-
hensive. Internal consistency in this sample was 0.96. Only the total score was considered in
the present study, since it provides a measure of subjective wellbeing as an indicator of the
quality of life (Nagpal & Sell, 1985). Items were reverse coded so that higher scores indicate
higher wellbeing.

Interview schedule
A semi-structured interview schedule with open-ended questions was used to ascertain the
following: reasons for taking up employment (nancial necessity or nancial independence),
multiple role strain, availability of support, sources of support (spouse, parents, in-laws,
other), satisfaction with job (Present/Absent) and job promotion prospects (refusal of a
job promotion, Yes/No). Responses were coded by the interviewer (MA) and an independent
rater (KR). Inter-rater reliability as indicated by the Kappa coecient ranged from 0.57
( p<. 000) for satisfaction with job to 1.00 ( p<. 000) for refusal of job promotion. Disagree-
ment was resolved by consensus and then coded.

Procedure
The study was cross-sectional in design. Participants were individually interviewed in English
at their workplace. Informed consent was obtained, participation was voluntary and no
incentives were provided. Ten women, who met the study criteria, declined from participating
stating paucity of time. Participants were informed that the investigators could be contacted
for any help even after the completion of the study.

Data analysis
Stepwise multiple regression analysis was carried out with subjective wellbeing as the depen-
dent variable and 12 predictor variables. Multiple role strain, reason for employment, refusal
of job promotion, satisfaction with job and availability of support were the dichotomous
variables which were dummy coded for the analysis. The seven coping styles were entered
as continuous variables.

RESULTS

In the interview, two-thirds of the respondents (N 40, 67%) stated that they had taken up
employment due to nancial necessity and the remaining (N 20, 33%) because they wanted
nancial independence. Most of the women (N 53, 88%) were satised with their job.
However, a majority in the group (N 50, 83%) reported that they had refused a job promo-
tion to the managerial level. Multiple role strain was reported by about half of the group
(N 29, 48%). Ninety per cent (N 54) reported that they were able to cope with their
role demands because of the availability of support. Spousal support was reported by
about two-thirds of the group (N 42, 70%), parental support by 43% (N 26) and support
from in-laws by 30% (N 18). Fifteen women (25%) reported that they used support from
external agencies such as a creche for childcare and/or full-time domestic help.

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 RAO ET AL.: SUBJECTIVE WELLBEING IN WOMEN WITH MULTIPLE ROLES 179

Table 1
Descriptive statistics of the SWBI (total) and coping dimensions (N 60)

Variable Expected Mid-point Obtained Mean SD

range range

SWB 108324 216 180307 256.67 30.99

Problem solving 010 5 210 6.67 1.57
Social support 06 3 06 3.53 1.49
Acceptance 011 5.5 411 8.78 1.46
Denial 011 5.5 08 3.62 2.06
Distractionpositive 014 7 113 6.83 2.57
Distractionnegative 09 4.5 04 0.61 0.83
Religion/faith 09 4.5 08 3.00 1.93

Among the categorical independent variables, multiple role strain and satisfaction with job
were signicantly correlated with wellbeing (r 0:33, p < :01; r 0:25, p < :05, respec-
tively) indicating that absence of multiple role strain and presence of satisfaction with
work were associated with higher wellbeing. Reason for employment and multiple role
strain were signicantly negatively correlated with availability of support (r 0:35,
p < :01; r 0:35, p < :01) indicating that women who worked out of nancial necessity
and those who reported the presence of multiple role strain also reported the non-availability
of support.
Acceptance, problem solving and social support seeking were the coping styles reported
largely. The use of positive distraction, denial and religion were reported to a lesser extent
and coping by negative distraction was the least. The mean score on the SWBI was above
the midpoint indicating that this group of women enjoyed a moderately high level of well-
being (Table 1).
Social support seeking was positively correlated and denial negatively correlated with
scores on the SWBI, indicating that greater use of social support coping and less use of
denial was associated with higher wellbeing (Table 2).

Table 2
Inter-correlations among the SWBI total score and coping dimensions

Variable 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

SWB (1) 1.00 0.20 0.49** 0.04 0.39** 0.21 0.10 0.07
Problem solving (2) 1.00 0.48** 0.45 0.30* 0.34** 0.20 0.17
Social support (3) 1.00 0.11 0.02 0.34** 0.11 0.27*
Acceptance (4) 1.00 0.27* 0.46** 0.28* 0.18
Denial (5) 1.00 0.31* 0.38** 0.34**
Distractionpositive (6) 1.00 0.38** 0.50**
Distractionnegative (7) 1.00 0.30*
Religion/faith (8) 1.00

* p < :05, ** p < :01

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180 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SOCIAL PSYCHIATRY 49(3)

Table 3
Stepwise multiple regression analysis with subjective wellbeing as the dependent variable

Predictor variable R2 Adj.R2 Std. beta `t' value p value

coecient

Social support coping 0.24 0.22 0.54 6.10 .000

Denial coping 0.38 0.36 0.34 3.83 .000
Multiple role strain (present) 0.48 0.46 0.18 1:87 .067
Reason for employment (nancial 0.52 0.49 0.37 3.69 .001
independence)
Availability of support (present) 0.57 0.53 0.29 2.80 .007
Refusal of job promotion 0.61 0.57 0.23 2.47 .017

On stepwise multiple regression analysis, greater use of social support seeking and less use
of denial as coping styles, absence of multiple role strain, working to be nancially indepen-
dent, availability of support and refusal of job promotion emerged as signicant predictors of
subjective wellbeing, accounting for 57% of the total variance (Table 3).

DISCUSSION

Women who participated in the present study enjoyed a moderately high level of subjective
wellbeing. The results support the enhancement model and are in keeping with research nd-
ings of higher wellbeing among women employed in the organized sector (Nathawat &
Mathur, 1993; Noor, 1995; Phillips & Imho, 1997). The high level of wellbeing could be
because these women were satised in both the work and personal domain. In the work
domain, they found the job interesting and liked the xed working hours. In addition, it pro-
vided them with an alternative social network. Most of the women had started working when
they were single and had settled into their job role before taking up the roles of wife and
mother.
Reason for taking up employment, with working for nancial independence rather than
out of nancial necessity, was a signicant predictor of wellbeing. Paradoxically, refusal of
job promotion to a managerial level contributed to wellbeing. A majority of the women
reported that they had refused promotion, as it would have meant longer hours of work,
greater responsibility and, more importantly, a job transfer. They felt that the relocation
would disrupt the family unit and gave precedence to their personal relationships over
career advancement. This is in keeping with the Indian value system that reinforces a
family rather than an individualistic orientation. These women have been careful in not
upsetting the delicate balance between home and career. Roopnarine et al. (1992) commented
that if the working woman is seen as being ambitious about her career, she is likely to be
viewed with disgrace. She, therefore, has to balance her roles to avoid guilt associated with
working and having a career.
Women are, at times, perceived as having lower career aspirations than men and as not
having the same investment in their work (Phillips & Imho, 1997). This is not entirely

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 RAO ET AL.: SUBJECTIVE WELLBEING IN WOMEN WITH MULTIPLE ROLES 181

true as most of the women in the present study reported that they would consider a promo-
tion once their children were older or settled. However, Rajadhyaksha and Bhatnagar (2000)
report that for many women such a professional resurgence is not possible. This is because
`parenting' of a dierent kind starts in this phase of life. Women are responsible for the
care of the elders in the family, and working women are specially obligated if they have
received help with childcare. Research conducted in the West has shown that while a
larger number of women are entering the work force, they are not necessarily moving up
the ladder in terms of career advancement. Gender discrimination and the `glass ceiling'
have been some of the reasons cited in western literature for the lack of visibility of
women at the higher levels (Gallant et al., 1994). The ndings of this study indicate that,
especially in dierent cultures, other explanations may also hold good. Women's talents
may, therefore, be underutilized and there are strong individual and environmental barriers
to career advancement (Phillips & Imho, 1997).
In the personal domain, the availability of support was a signicant predictor of wellbeing.
The women in this study enjoyed a well-integrated support network comprising of spouse as
well as other family members especially parents and in-laws. This indicates that even those
living in nuclear families were, in eect, functioning like an extended/joint family. Many
women had shifted their residential accommodation close to their parents' or in-laws'
houses so that they could leave their children in safe custody. Most of the women reported
that they would not have been able to continue working after marriage, but for the support
from their spouse and parents. These results are consistent with the ndings of Rajadhyaksha
and Bhatnagar (2000).
The results from the present study also suggest that when family supports are available, the
absence of childcare facilities is not keenly felt. However, in India, with the changing family
structure and urban lifestyles, the support networks are shrinking (Bharat, 1991). There is a
need for safe and reliable childcare arrangements, if working women are to feel secure and
satised in their multiple roles (Vencatesan, 1996).
Two-thirds of the participants reported that they had the active support and encourage-
ment to work from their spouses. Spousal support provides a sense of security and stability
at home (Emmons et al., 1990) and reduces role conict in working women (Hirsch &
Rapkin, 1986; Misra, 1998). However, few women actually received help from their husband
in household chores and domestic responsibilities. In keeping with these ndings, about half
the women acknowledged the presence of multiple role strain. Women who reported the
presence of multiple role strain had signicantly lower scores on subjective wellbeing than
women who did not report the strain (M 244.28, SD 27.98 and M 268.26, SD
29.53 respectively; `t'-value 3.22, p < :002). This may have been the reason why multiple
role strain remained in the regression equation, although it was not statistically signicant in
the nal step.
Ramu (1987) observed that husbands in dual-earner families in India enjoy the economic
benets of their wives' employment, along with the public image of being benevolent, liber-
ated men who have permitted their wives to work outside of the home. He found that the
dimension of husband's role most resistant to change was participation in domestic duties.
While the availability of spousal support is a contributor to working women's wellbeing,
Chandra et al. (1995) reported that in urban working women, in India, spouses may help
with childcare, but not with household chores. Research carried out in the West also indicates

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182 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SOCIAL PSYCHIATRY 49(3)

that although women have taken on additional roles, their levels of involvement with child-
care and household responsibilities remain unchanged relative to their husbands' (Phillips &
Imho, 1997).
Among the coping styles, greater use of social support seeking and less use of denial con-
tributed signicantly to higher levels of subjective wellbeing. Literature in the area of social
support indicates that availability of support and utilization of support or support seeking are
two distinct dimensions (Thoits, 1995). The former is seen as a coping resource, while the
latter is a coping strategy. The women in this study reported that they coped with stress by
actively seeking help from members of their support network to talk things over and
reduce their distress as well as to nd solutions to their problems. Support seeking as a
coping style serves both a problem and emotion focused function, and the ndings of the
present study conrm this. Support seeking was the strongest predictor variable and contri-
buted 22% of the variance in wellbeing. Persons high on psychological distress, however,
often do not make use of the support available to them. This is because of either relational
strain or a perception, possibly inuenced by the mood state, that the outcome will be nega-
tive (Thoits, 1995; Rao et al., 2001).
The decreased use of denial as a coping style emerging as a predictor of higher wellbeing is
consistent with earlier research that found the use of denial and avoidance coping to be asso-
ciated with greater psychological distress (Coyne & Downey, 1991). Wanamaker and Bird
(1990) reported similar ndings among working women. The women in the present study
seem to be aware of the realities of their life situation and have accordingly made compro-
mises and adjustments, so that there is little use for maladaptive coping behaviour such as
denial.
Many studies dealing with psychological wellbeing in working women have actually exam-
ined burnout, stress and depression (Phillips & Imho, 1997). In contrast, the present study
emphasized a positive mental health perspective. Greater use of social support seeking and
decreased use of denial as coping styles, absence of multiple role strain, working for nancial
independence, the availability of support and refusing job promotion contributed to higher
wellbeing in this sample of married, working women. Stress management workshops for
married, working women need to, therefore, focus on enhancing problem and emotion
focused coping, especially through strengthening and active mobilization of support net-
works. Since studies have reported decreased wellbeing in husbands in dual-earner families
(Srivastava, 1995; Andrade et al., 1999) it is important to include the spouses in these work-
shops. In the couple sessions, the focus can be on improving the quality of the marital rela-
tionship and working towards a more egalitarian role sharing that is mutually benecial.
Phillips and Imho (1997) highlight the need to design, implement and evaluate interventions
that can support the career development of women. Such intervention programmes can help
working women negotiate the challenges of the workplace as well as their personal role
commitments.
The study has several limitations, including that of being cross-sectional in design and
comprising of women only from the banking sector. While the ndings may, to some
extent, be applicable to educated women, working in the organized sector, the coping
styles of women working in low prestige jobs, with fewer economic and social resources to
manage work and family responsibilities, are likely to be quite dierent (Meleis & Stevens,
1992; Long, 1998).

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 RAO ET AL.: SUBJECTIVE WELLBEING IN WOMEN WITH MULTIPLE ROLES 183

The results are also limited by the fact that standardized measures were not used to assess
job satisfaction and social support. Several studies have used single item, categorical
measurement to examine these variables mainly due to time constraints or practical problems
of research (Bruhn & Philips, 1984; Wanous et al., 1997). However, the use of such measure-
ment has been criticized for producing a less precise and reliable measurement of the
constructs (Winemiller et al., 1993). In the present study, the inclusion of standardized assess-
ment would have increased the chances of nding more subtle dierences. This is especially
important as job and social network related variables, together with coping styles, emerged as
signicant contributors to wellbeing.

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Kiran Rao, PhD, Additional Professor, Department of Clinical Psychology, National Institute of Mental Health &
Neuro Science (NIMHANS), Bangalore, India.
Mridula Apte, MPhil, Consultant Clinical Psychologist, Vidyasagar Institute of Mental Health & Neuro Sciences,
New Delhi, India.
D.K. Subbakrishna, PhD, Additional Professor, Department of Bio-statistics, NIMHANS, Bangalore, India.
Correspondence to Kiran Rao, PhD, Additional Professor, Department of Clinical Psychology, National Institute of
Mental Health & Neuro Science (NIMHANS), Hosur Road, Bangalore 560 029, India.
Email: kiranr@nimhans.kar.nic.in

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