Visiting Scholar Receives Grant to Study Work-Family Pressures

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Guiging Li

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Guiquing Li, a visiting scholar from China, has received a grant from the National Science Foundation of China, the nation’s most prestigious funding agency, to research the cross pressures between work and family obligations and expectations. Li’s temporary home in the department of political science in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences played a significant role in supplementing her research for the grant application.

“We are very pleased to being able to further Dr. Li’s research agenda while she is visiting our department,” said Margaret Reid, professor of political science and chair of the department. “We are convinced that she will produce ground breaking research on work-family and family-work conflicts that, if unresolved, have been found to adversely influence satisfaction with one‘s career as well as intentions to leave one’s workplace or profession.”

Li joined the department of political science in January of 2012 as visiting scholar. During that time she completed the grant application for her project titled “Work-family climates that support knowledge workers’ innovation behavior: A cross-cultural comparison between Chinese and U.S companies.” The National Science Foundation of China received more than 170,000 applications, with about ten percent of all applicants receiving awards. Li’s project was awarded ¥540,000 (approximately $85,000) and will run from 2013 through 2016.

“We strive every day to preserve Senator Fulbright’s legacy of international academic exchange,” said Robin Roberts, dean of Fulbright College. “Partnerships like the one with Dr. Li are among the ways we help forge national and international relationships and pursue peace through education.”

With the increasing number of females in the workforce and the changing nature of traditional family structures, workers increasingly face cross pressures of work and family commitments. Li’s research will examine the effect work-family support structures on the creativity of workers through a comparison of Chinese companies and American companies located in China. Questionnaires and case studies will be used to determine reasons for disparate treatment of workers in their workplaces. Li anticipates that her work will result in a better model suitable for cross—national comparisons.