Conducting Qualitative Work–Family Research across Cultures

In order to gain a complete understanding of work-family issues in different cultural contexts it is important for researchers to consider the local meanings of various work-family related concepts. Cross-cultural qualitative research can be used to explore different work-family phenomena in different cultural contexts and to compare the similarities and differences in those experiences across cultures. Qualitative approaches can also be used to complement quantitative research by establishing functional equivalence of concepts, or highlighting the unique components of the concepts in different cultural contexts. This chapter outlines some best practices in conducting qualitative work-family research across cultures (including data collection, sampling, and data analysis) and highlights some technical issues specific to cross-cultural qualitative research with references to these practices. Possible applications of the qualitative approach to supplement existing research findings are also discussed.