INTERNATIONAL IT UNIVERSITY

DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGES
IYa 1103 Foreign Language/IELTS Intermediate
IYa 1104 Foreign Language/IELTS Intermediate
1 course
SPRING
MID TERM
READING Variant 4
Approved by Acting Head of the Department
Date:____________________ __________________Zh. ZhManapbayeva
Student:_________________ (Department Meeting, Minutes # 7,
Group:__________________ February 5, 2021)

You should spend about 20 minutes (plus 5 minutes to check your answers) on Questions 1-10, which are
based on the reading passage below.

Work-Family Dynamic
A. Political and family values within society have impacted upon the modern family structure.
Traditionally, it has been the man’s role to be the breadwinner for the family – providing the funds
to pay for food and shelter. However, due to the many new and unique responsibilities placed upon
families, in numerous cases both men and women – fathers and mothers – have had to enter the
workforce. Generally, the reasons for both being involved in the workforce revolve around the need
to add to the family’s current financial base. To a lesser extent, the need to interact with ‘adults’ in a
stimulating work environment is another popular reason. Whatever their reasons, for many families,
the decision for father and mother to go out of the home and join the labour force has led to a
number of side effects within the home which, in turn, impact upon their performance as employees.

B. Many researchers agree that attitudes towards work are carried over into family life. This spillover
can be positive or negative. Positive spillover refers to the spread of satisfaction and positive
stimulation at work resulting in high levels of energy and satisfaction at home. If the amount of
research is to be taken as an indication, it would seem that positive spillover is not a dominant
occurrence in the workplace with most research focusing on the effects of negative spillover. Often
pointing out the incompatible nature of work and family life, the research focuses on problems and
conflict at work which has the effect of draining and preoccupying the individual, making it difficult
for him or her to participate fully in family life.

C. Social scientists have devised a number of theories in an attempt to explain the work-family
dynamic. Compensation theory is one which has been widely used. It assumes that the relationship
between work and family is negative by pointing out that high involvement in one sphere –
invariably the work sphere – leads to low involvement in the other. As an individual advances within
a career, demands typically fluctuate from moderate to more demanding and if the advancing worker
has younger children, this shift in work responsibilities will usually manifest itself in the form of less
time spent with the family. Researchers subscribing to this theory point out that the drain on family
time is significantly related to work-family conflict with an escalation in conflict as the number of
family members increase.

D. The human state is one of change. In exploring the work-family dynamic it can be clearly seen that
as the pattern of adult development for men and women differs and as family and career demands
fluctuate, individuals may link work and family roles differently at different stages of their life.
Hence, the relationship between work and family is constantly changing over a person’s life. The
developmental approach therefore adopts a psychological-developmental framework to explore the
 dynamics of the relationship between individual, family, and career developments in the lifespan of
a worker.
E. Interpersonal ‘climates’ influence motivation of family and work-related activities. Within the
family, the feeling of being valued by one’s partner directly affects a person’s self-determination,
while at the same time within the workplace, the feeling of being ‘autonomy-supported’ by one’s
employer has been shown to have a positive effect on one’s self-determined motivation towards
work-related activities. Studies built on the theory of self-determination therefore point out that if
people have abundant levels of self-determination, participation in those areas will most often result
in desirable outcomes.

F. Segmentation theory proposes that work and family are actually two entirely separate domains and
individuals are able to maintain a clear demarcation between the two. Theorists subscribing to this
view maintain that emotions, attitudes and behaviours enlisted in the two different environments are
separate and will not have any impact upon work or family. While this theory is certainly applicable
for some, apparently not all men and women are able to neatly divide the two experiences.
Winthrope points out that, “Even though a woman may enter the workforce, research has shown that
within the context ofthe family, the care of her husband and children as well as the living quarters is
still heavily the woman’s domain.” This kind of idea is tied up in the old adage; a woman’s place is
in the home. She is seen as the one who takes care of all domestic duties whereas, stereotypically, it
is the man who brings home the food for the family. The degree to which this is felt is certainly
based upon societal expectations and behavioural norms. Despite this, there has been no positive link
shown that one sex experiences greater difficulty in managing work-family conflicts over another.

G. Perhaps the most positive relation that could be established between work and family conflict was in
regard to irregular work hours. Factors such as having to work on weekends, having to work longer
than nine hours per day or having to work during vacation periods all added to the conflict dynamic.
Additionally, rank or position and thus expectations of workers and time demands all showed a
negative impact upon family and work relations. Many have conducted empirical research in relation
to work-family conflict and job satisfaction with significantly varying results. However, one
generally recognised outcome about which few researchers disagree is that when work-family
conflict arises, job satisfaction decreases.
Questions 1-5
Look at the paragraphs A-E. Which paragraph contains the following information?
Write the correct letter, A-E, in boxes 1-5 on your answer sheet.
1. The effects a person’s outlook on work has on family life B
2. The effects of motivation on the work-family dynamic E
3. A theory in whichthe work-family dynamic is negative C
4. Some of the reasons why both males and females have had to enter the workforce A
5. The effects of a person’s development on the work-family dynamic D
Question 6-8
Look at the following list of theories (Questions 6-8) and the list of definitions below.
Match each theory with its related idea.
Write the correct letter A-F in boxes 6-8on your answer sheet.
6) Self-determination C
7) Compensation F
8) Developmental A

A. constant changes in the relationship between work and family

D. negative working environments hurt work performance
C. high levels of it lead to positive work and family outcomes
F. work duties tend to dominate family duties
G. determined people tend to have successful families
F. working a lot might affect family life
Question 9 and 10
Write TRUE, FALSE or NOT GIVEN for the following statements based on the author’s views.
9) One of the reasons why both parents enter the workforce is their financial issues. true
10) There is a positive relationship between the gender of the employee and their ability to manage
work-family conflicts. NOT GIVEN