Gender differences in work–family conflict and mental health of Swedish workers by childcare responsibilities: findings from the SLOSH cohort study

Abstract

Objectives In Sweden, the number of working-aged women in employment is now almost equal to that of men. While this has many benefits, it presents challenges in organizing work and non-work responsibilities around children, which may impact employees` mental health. Methods Based on the Swedish Longitudinal Occupational Survey of Health (SLOSH) cohort study, we prospectively examined gender differences for the effects of work–family conflict and caring for children on mental health among Swedish workers. Mental health status was assessed using a brief (Hopkins) symptom checklist depression scale. We used information from three waves of data over five years (2014–2018) for 5846 women and 421..