Coping Strategies for Work-Family Conflict among Working Housewives in Cipatujah Village, Tasikmalaya Regency, Indonesia

This research addresses the escalating phenomenon of working mothers in Indonesia, particularly in Cipatujah Village, Tasikmalaya Regency. With nearly 30 percent of married women engaged in employment, the study focuses on the work-family conflict experienced by these working housewives and aims to uncover their coping strategies. The literature review emphasizes the scarcity of research on coping efforts from the perspective of working women, particularly in developing country contexts like Indonesia. Using a qualitative approach, the study explores the experiences of six working homemakers managing dual roles through observation, interviews, and document analysis. The findings reveal diverse types of work-family conflict, including time-based, strain-based, and behavior-based conflicts. The coping strategies employed by these housewives vary, encompassing problem-focused coping, emotion-focused coping, and a combination of both. This research contributes to the existing literature by providing nuanced insights into the challenges faced by working housewives in a specific rural context. The variations in coping strategies underscore the importance of recognizing individual differences and the complexity of work and family contexts. The study advocates for tailored support systems and policies, considering cultural values and grassroots-level experiences. In conclusion, this research contributes to a comprehensive understanding of coping mechanisms for work-family conflict among working mothers in Indonesia, offering valuable implications for policymakers and future research endeavors.


Introduction
The increasing phenomenon of working mothers is evident both in urban and rural areas.According to the 2021 data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), nearly 37 million or around 30 percent of married women are employed in Indonesia (BPS, 2021).Specifically in West Java, more than 2.3 million housewives entered the job market in 2020 (West Java Manpower Office, 2021).This trend is influenced by various factors, including family economic needs, the rise in women's education and skills, and changing social norms regarding women's roles (Choiriyyah & Sonda, 2020).
The emergence of working mothers in the public sector often gives rise to work-family conflict due to conflicting and different responsibilities between the work and family spheres.Work-family conflict can negatively impact the physical and psychological health of women and the quality of family relationships (Sandhu et al., 2022).Therefore, efforts to address work-family conflict are crucial for working mothers to optimize their roles.
On the other hand, there is limited research exploring coping strategies for work-family conflict among female workers in Indonesia.Most previous studies have focused more on the impact of work-family conflict on individuals and organizations (Arsandrie et al., 2014).Studies that concentrate on women's experiences in coping with workfamily conflict are still scarce, especially at the village level, such as in Tasikmalaya.Hence, an in-depth study on coping strategies for work-family conflict among working housewives in Indonesia, specifically in Cipatujah, remains relevant.
Based on preliminary surveys in Cipatujah Village, Cipatujah District, Tasikmalaya Regency, it was found that a significant number of productive-age women in the village work as factory workers, seamstresses, or engage in microbusinesses such as small shops or rice mills while still managing household affairs.They often experience conflicts in dual roles and stress due to work demands outside the home conflicting with household and childcare responsibilities.
Certainly, these housewives employ various strategies to overcome work-family conflict, but there is no in-depth study on their coping efforts in this particular location.
Therefore, the objective of this research is to describe and analyze the coping strategies employed by working housewives in overcoming work-family conflict in Cipatujah Village, Cipatujah District, Tasikmalaya Regency.The findings of this study are expected to contribute to the literature on coping strategies for work-family conflict among female workers in Indonesia, especially at the village level.Consequently, it can provide valuable insights for relevant authorities to formulate policies supporting working mothers in managing their dual roles effectively.

Literature Review
The concept of constraining the power of rulers or governments over their subjects is rooted in the acknowledgment that no absolute power exists on Earth.Power exercised solely for its own sake, rather than for the welfare of the people, tends to lead to oppression, with rulers inclined to use their authority for personal or familial gain.The Magna Carta, born out of compromise between King John and the nobility, represented a remarkable advancement, placing constraints on the monarch's authority (Evie Fitriani, 2000;Scott Davidson, 1994;Zeffry Alkatiri, 2007).
The phenomenon of housewives working outside the home continues to increase from year to year.Statistical data shows a significant increase in the number of housewives entering the job market both at the national level and in the province of West Java (BPS, 2021;West Java Manpower Office, 2021).However, on the other hand, women's dual roles often give rise to work-family conflict due to the conflicting demands of work and family (Choiriyyah & Sonda, 2020).
Work-family conflict is defined as a form of interrole conflict where the pressures of a person's work and family roles are incompatible with each other (Greenhaus & Beutell, 1985).The meta-analysis conducted by Amstad et al. (2011) on dual role conflict found a significant negative impact on job satisfaction, life satisfaction and individual mental health.Meanwhile, for organizations, work-family conflict is correlated with reduced organizational commitment and increased employee turnover intentions (Nohe & Sonntag, 2014).
Work-family conflict coping strategies are important so that individuals can overcome the pressure of this dual role.Several previous studies have studied the impact of work-family conflict on individuals and organizations, but rarely focused on efforts to overcome it from the perspective of working women (Arsandrie et al., 2014).Therefore, in-depth studies related to work-family conflict coping strategies among working housewives in Indonesia are still relevant and need to be carried out in order to enrich the body of research in this field.
As more women enter the workforce while retaining domestic responsibilities, work-family conflict has emerged as a significant issue.Work-family conflict occurs when demands from work and family roles are incompatible, causing interference between the two domains (Greenhaus & Beutell, 1985).This conflict is associated with reduced job and life satisfaction and poor mental health outcomes (Amstad et al., 2011).Thus, coping strategies are important for working women to mitigate the impacts of work-family conflict.However, limited research has examined such coping efforts from the perspectives of working women themselves.
Existing research identified some frequently used coping techniques for work-family conflict.These include reactive strategies like reducing involvement in one domain by missing family or work activities when demands arise; and proactive strategies like planning, time management, setting limits, and communication (Somech & Drach-Zahavy, 2012).While reactive coping tends to be emotion-focused and may incur more costs, proactive coping addresses the root causes in a problem-focused way.
Social support from family members, colleagues, or supervisors also aids coping ability in the face of work-family conflict (Michel et al., 2011).Support provides resources and outlets for coping with demands.Segmentation or integration of work and family borders determine if support is sought from one domain to alleviate stress from the other (Kreiner, 2006).
There remains a dearth of research on coping specifically among working women in developing country contexts like Indonesia.Most studies on work-family conflict have examined its outcomes rather than coping efforts from a female perspective (Arsandrie et al., 2014).Further exploration using qualitative approaches could provide richer insight into coping strategies employed by working mothers at the grassroots level and how cultural values shape this.Understanding women's coping experiences is vital to formulating policies that facilitate the dual roles increasingly assumed by women across settings.

Materials and Methods
This study employs a qualitative approach with a descriptive method to explore the experiences of working homemakers managing X in Cipatujah, Tasikmalaya.Data is collected through observation, interviews, and document analysis.Six informants are selected purposively to ensure a focused exploration of the research objectives.
To enhance data reliability, triangulation is utilized, cross-verifying information from various sources and methods.Data analysis involves reduction, presentation, and conclusion drawing.In the reduction phase, raw data is simplified and organized.The organized data is then presented coherently, and conclusions are drawn, ensuring alignment with research objectives.
The qualitative approach is chosen for its depth in understanding the nuances of work-family conflict.Purposive sampling ensures informants have relevant experiences.Overall, the selected methodology and analysis techniques contribute to a comprehensive exploration of coping strategies in managing work-family conflict among working homemakers.

Dual Role Conflict among Housewives Working in X Cipatujah
Every household is inseparable from various problems, ranging from minor ones to problems that are complex and difficult to overcome.Housewives who decide to work have made the decision to face the challenge of double jobs.This research focuses on housewives who work as managers of the Asthabrata RPTRA in X Cipatujah, and their main motivation for working is economic factors.
Work-family conflict experienced by working mothers arises from an imbalance in carrying out roles between work and family.This occurs when individuals try to fulfill role demands at work, and these efforts can be influenced by the individual's ability to meet the demands of their family, or vice versa.From the table above, it can be observed that each informant experienced different types of dual role conflict.SF's mother, for example, experienced time-based conflict.In contrast, Ms. SN faced strain-based conflict, indicating difficulty in taking on multiple roles emotionally.SW's mother, in turn, faced both types of conflict, both time and strain related.Interestingly, Ms. KR and Ms. KT appeared to experience time-and strain-based conflicts.This indicates that the challenges of managing time and emotional tension in dealing with dual roles are important aspects in the dynamics of their work and family life.
It is important to note that this complexity reflects variations in the experience of work-family conflict among housewives working in X Cipatujah.Each individual has their own dynamics, and understanding these types of conflicts can be the basis for designing more specific and effective coping strategies for each housewife.By understanding these differences, we can identify more targeted and sustainable solutions to help working housewives overcome the multiple role conflicts they face every day.
Types of Work-Family Conflict in Housewives: a).Time-Based Conflict: This conflict arose because the informants carried out multiple roles simultaneously, causing confusion and often missing moments with the family.The main challenge is dividing time between the roles as a worker and as a housewife.When both roles require attention at the same time, one role is forced to be sacrificed.As a result, feelings of disappointment and sadness arise which have the potential to cause additional problems.b).Strain-Based Conflict: This conflict arises when there is a high workload at work, and after a day away from home, the hope is that when you come home you can immediately rest without interruption.However, if these expectations are not met, conflict arises due to the perceived strain.Working mothers tend to become emotional more easily due to stress, which in the end can lead to conflict because their role is needed but cannot be carried out fully.c).Behavior-Based Conflict: This conflict occurs when housewives who work outside the home, after sacrificing time and energy, return home and find conditions that do not meet expectations.This can trigger emotional reactions due to fatigue, creating behavioral differences that must be overcome.RPTRA, which should be a place open to the general public, requires them to behave well towards all visitors, even if they are facing problems outside the work context.These differences in behavior often give rise to new problems that must be faced.

Efforts of Working Mothers in Managing Work-Family Conflict
The phrase Efforts of Working Mothers in Managing Work-Family Conflict refers to the actions and strategies employed by mothers who are engaged in both employment and household responsibilities to effectively handle the challenges arising from the conflicting demands of work and family life.The term "efforts" implies the deliberate steps and approaches taken by these working mothers to navigate and mitigate the tensions between their professional and familial roles.
In the context of the provided table, the focus is on understanding how each working mother, identified as Mother SF, Mother SN, Mother SW, Mother KR, and Mother KT, addresses the work-family conflict.This conflict arises when the demands and responsibilities of the workplace clash with those of the family, creating a challenging situation for individuals attempting to fulfill both roles simultaneously.
In exploring the dynamics of dual role conflict (work-family conflict) faced by housewives who work in the X, Table 2 provides an overview of the efforts they make to overcome these challenges.The fifth informant, namely Mrs. SF, Mrs. SN, Mrs. SW, Mrs. KR, and Mrs. KT, have implemented various coping strategies to carry out their dual roles as workers and housewives.Mrs. SF and Mrs. SN, for example, prioritize problem-focused coping strategies.They actively seek solutions and overcome problems that arise.Meanwhile, Mrs. SW, with the complexity of the multiple roles she faced, implemented both strategies, both problem-focused coping and emotion-focused coping.He not only focuses on solving problems but also pays attention to the emotional aspects of dealing with the conflict.
Meanwhile, Mrs. KR prefers a problem-focused coping strategy, while Mrs. KT also adopts a similar approach.Both show a tendency to actively seek solutions and manage tasks that require attention.However, in the context of time management, the informants have not seen the implementation of this strategy, which may indicate that time management is still an aspect that needs attention.Through understanding these efforts, it can be identified that each housewife approaches work-family conflict with a unique approach.The complexity of individual conditions and work and family contexts contributes to variations in the coping strategies applied.Thus, this understanding can be the basis for developing further approaches to support housewives in carrying out their dual roles more effectively.

Conclussion
The increasing trend of working mothers in Indonesia, particularly in Cipatujah Village, Tasikmalaya Regency, has brought attention to the challenges they face in managing dual roles.This study delves into the work-family conflict experienced by working housewives in the village, aiming to uncover coping strategies employed by these women.The literature review highlights the significance of understanding work-family conflict and the dearth of research focusing on coping strategies from the perspective of working women, especially in developing countries like Indonesia.
The research reveals that housewives in Cipatujah Village encounter various types of work-family conflict, including time-based, strain-based, and behavior-based conflicts.The diverse experiences underscore the need for tailored coping strategies.The efforts made by working mothers in managing work-family conflict include problemfocused coping, emotion-focused coping, and a combination of both.The variations in coping strategies suggest the importance of recognizing individual differences and the complexity of work and family contexts.
The findings contribute to the existing literature by offering insights into the coping strategies employed by working housewives in a specific rural context.This information is valuable for policymakers aiming to formulate supportive policies for working mothers managing dual roles.Moreover, the study emphasizes the importance of considering cultural values and grassroots-level experiences in understanding work-family conflict and coping mechanisms.
In conclusion, this research provides a nuanced exploration of the challenges faced by working housewives in Cipatujah Village and the strategies they adopt to navigate the complexities of work-family conflict.The study advocates for further research in similar contexts to broaden the understanding of coping strategies and enhance support systems for working mothers in Indonesia and beyond.

Table 1 :
Types of Work-Family Conflict in Housewives Working in X

Table 2 :
Efforts of Working Mothers in Managing Work-Family Conflict