Volume 8 Number 1, 2023 Volume 8 Number 1, 2023 Faculty of Social Sciences, Enugu State University of Science And Technology EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Prof. Oby Omeje MANAGING EDITOR Prof. Barnabas Nwankwo PUBLISHED BY ENUGU STATE UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY JOURNAL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES & HUMANITIES 45 Moderating Role of Perceived Organizational Support in the Relationship Between Work-Family Conflict and Work Engagement 1Azike I.N. 1Okonkwo, E.A. *1Ezeh, M.A. 2Okonkwo, N.V. 1Ikpenwa C.E. 1Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT) 2Department of Educational Psychology, Enugu State College of Education Technical *Corresponding author: michaelarinze40@gmail.com Abstract The study investigated the moderating role of perceived organizational support in relationship between work-family conflict and work engagement. Two hundred and fifty-nine (259) participants comprising women between the ages of 21 to 59 (M= 41.49, SD= 8.60) were drawn using criterion sampling technique from Enugu State Judiciary (High Court and Magistrate Court). The study was a cross-sectional survey in which 17-item Perceived Organizational Support Scale (Eisenberger, Huntington & Sowa, 1986), 32-item Work-family Conflict Scale (Okonkwo, 2014) and 17-item Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (Schaufeli & Bakker, 2003) were administered for data collection. Moderated multiple hierarchical regression was used as statistical test for data analysis. The results indicated that time-based work-to-family conflict (β = -.17, p< .05) negatively and strain-based work-to-family conflict (β = .17, p< .05) positively predicted vigor dimension of work engagement, strain-based work-to-family conflict (β = .16, p< .05) positively predicted absorption dimension of work engagement. Time-based, strain-based and behaviour-based family-to-work conflict (β = .27, p< .001) jointly predicted all the dimensions of work engagement (vigor, dedication and absorption). Independently, only time- based family-to-work conflict positively predicted all the dimensions of work engagement (vigor; β = .19, p< .05; dedication;β = .21, p< .05; absorption; β = .18, p< .05).Perceived organizational support (β = .17, p< .01) positively predicted all the dimensions of work engagement (vigor, dedication and absorption). Perceived organizational support did not moderate the prediction of work engagement (vigor, dedication and absorption) by work-family conflict (work-to-family conflict and family-to-work conflict). The results of this study were discussed; the implications of the study highlighted. Finally, it has been recommended that policy makers in Nigerian Judiciary especially Enugu State Judiciary should provide their workforce especially women with adequate support in order to enhance work engagement. Keywords: Perceived Organizational Support, Work-Family Conflict, Work Engagement Introduction Women working at Enugu State Judiciary may experience inter-role conflict across domains as they give in to the demands of paid employment and at the same time satisfy their mailto:michaelarinze40@gmail.com 46 gender role expectations as wives and mothers. Conflict experienced across domains can be as a result of little or no support from spouse, relatives, organization and deficiency in finances. The effect of this conflict across work and family domains may lead to inefficiency, absenteeism, lateness, inattention and low productivity which may lead to reduced or low work engagement (Okonkwo, 2014; Brown, 2010; Ugwu, 2010; Casale & Posel, 1999; Carlson, 2011). Moreover, in a world where technological innovations increase the flexibility of when and where work can be executed, the ability to successfully balance work and family life has been highlighted as one of the primary social challenges of our era (Guest, 2002). A lack of such balance, often results in work-family conflict which has been shown to cause adverse outcomes for both individuals and organizations (Allen, Herst, Bruck, & Sutton, 2000; Amstad, Meier, Fasel, Elfering, & Semmer, 2011). The concepts of work and family are important in one’s life, though effective participation in both domains leads to satisfaction but often times, interference from work and family which is inevitable may lead to work-family conflict (Okonkwo, 2013).Work-family conflict has been recognized as bidirectional (Rotondo & Kinsaid, 2008). They are work interference with family (WIF) i.e., work-to-family conflict and family interference with work (FIW) i.e., family-to-work conflict. An example of work interference with family include bringing work home at the expense of family time, while an example of family interference with work could be cancelling work arrangement due to family responsibility (Adams, King & King 1996; Frone 1992; Noor, 2004). Within work-to-family conflict and family-to-work conflict, three subtypes of conflict have been identified and these are time-based conflict, strain-based conflict, behaviour-based conflict (Frone, 1992; Kelloway, Gottlieb & Barham, 1999). Time-based conflict occurs when the amount of time spent on performing in one role prevents an employee from being able to allot time to meet the demand of another role (e.g. longer working hour, inflexible work schedule, shift work, family responsibility, caring children). Strain-based conflict occurs when strain created from one role interferes with employee performance in another role (e.g. role conflict, role ambiguity, low spouse support). 47 Behaviour-based conflict arises when specific behaviours required and expected in one role are incompatible with those required for another role (Shaffer, Joplin & Hsu, 2011) (e.g. Expectation for warm, emotional, human relationship). Any role characteristic that distresses an employee’s time, strain, or behaviour involvement within a role might produce conflict between responsibilities. Thus, a study by Wallis and Price (2003) showed that working mothers are likely to experience time and strain-based conflict. However, work-family conflict has also received considerable research attention (Koekemoer & Mostert, 2010; McLellan & Uys, 2009; Mostert, 2008; Theunissen , 2003; Wallis & Price, 2003) owing to the significant impact it may have on the health and well-being of individuals as well as on organizational outcomes such as work engagement (Bellavia & Frone, 2005; Greenhaus & Beutell, 1985; Hassan, Dollard & Winefield, 2010; Mitchelson, 2009; Poelmans, O’Driscoll & Beham, 2005; Rotondo, Carlson & Kincaid, 2003). Work engagement has been defined as a positive psychological state of mind consisting of vigor, dedication, and absorption (Schaufeli & Bakker, 2004). Vigor is characterized by high levels of energy, force and willingness to invest effort in a work even in the face of difficulties, dedication is characterized by a sense of significance, enthusiasm and challenge in a work, while absorption is characterized by being fully concentrated and engrossed in a work. Work engagement has therefore become a popular concept both in the world of business and academia due to its relationship with a number of positive organizational outcomes; such as increased employee performance (Salanova, Agut, & Peiró, 2005), organizational commitment (Hakanen, Schaufeli, & Ahola, 2008) and well-being (Schaufeli, Taris, & Van Rhenen, 2008). Employees experiencing substantial level of work engagement may experience positive consequences such as taking personal initiative as well as being proactive and eager to learn (Schaufeli & Salanova 2007). Work engagement may also result in high levels of job performance and customer satisfaction (Bakker & Demerouti, 2008), as well as lower levels of turnover intention (Du ploy & Roodt, 2010). It has been explained that engaged workers perform more adequately than those who are not engaged because they are able to pass on their engagement to others, experience pleasant affectivity and health, and create their own resources (job and personal) (Bakker & Demerouti, 2008). Although work engagement may have positive implication for individuals and their work lives, work engagement may also increase work-family conflict (Zheng &Wu, 2018). 48 Drawing on the depletion argument (Rothbard, 2001), studies have shown that being too engaged in work activities may result in a form of work-family conflict such as work interference with family (WIF) and family interference with work (FIW) (Halbesleben, 2009). In addition, it has been shown that long working hours (excessive job demands) can result in individuals being unable to allocate the necessary amount of time and energy to their family relationship (Pocock, Skinner & Williams, 2007). Higher levels of negative work-family conflict has been shown to predict lower levels of work engagement (Mostert, 2006). Mauno (2007) found that high levels of work-family conflict predict lower levels of work engagement. Work- family conflict has also been shown to predict burnout (Cinamon & Rich, 2009; Peeters, Montgomery, Bakker & Schaufeli 2005), which has been described as the antipode of work engagement. However, although work engagement has been defined as a positive psychological state consisting of vigor, dedication, and absorption (Schaufeli & Bakker, 2004), researchers have noted one potential downside to engagement. They question whether employees may become so engrossed in their work that this negatively affects other parts of their lives, such as their family, resulting in work-family conflict (George, 2011; Halbesleben, 2011). Others have argued that since highly engaged employees usually are in a positive mood and have better access to job resources, they are likely to experience a positive work-family balance through increased work-family facilitation (Culbertson, Mills, & Fullagar, 2012; Siu, 2010), thus the need to understand how work engagement relates to experiences outside the work domain (Rodríguez-Muñoz, Sanz-Vergel, Demerouti & Bakker, 2014). One occupational group that might be especially susceptible to both positive and negative work-related outcomes in this study are women working at Enugu State Judiciary. According to Bellamy, Morley, and Watty (2003), women working in this sector seem to be driven by factors, such as perceived organizational support. However, studies have also indicated that female employee’s workload are increasing (Harman, 2003) and employees in this sector therefore stretch their work time in order to accommodate these enhanced demands (Houston, Meyer & Paewai, 2006). This has further been found to lead to an increase in their levels of stress and work-family conflict (Bell, Rajendran, & Theiler, 2012). Nevertheless, studies have demonstrated that having certain job resources, such as organizational support, may reduce experiences of work-family conflict (Boyd, 2010; Gillespie, Walsh, Winefield, Dua, & Stough, 2001), which in turn may increase work 49 engagement (Rofcanin, Bakker & Heras, 2017), hence the interest of this present study in perceived organizational support as moderator. Perceived organizational support is an important element that can assist an individual to reduce work-family conflict (Burns, 2006). Perceived organizational support (POS) is the resultant outcome of employees’ general beliefs that their organization cares about their well- being and values their contributions (Rhoades & Eisenberger, 2002). It is a basic tenet of employee satisfaction and results in an increased effort to fulfil organizational goals (Laschinger, Wong, Grau, Read & Pineau Stam, 2011). Laschinger (2011) suggested that enhancing perceived organizational support in the workplace will promote retention of competent workers and this indicates that married female employees with high levels of perceived organizational support will judge their jobs more favourably and are likely to utilize job resources more than their counterparts leading to reduced conflict across work and family domains. Perceived organizational support can also enhance psychological well-being, reduce role conflict, and enhance positive spillover from work and family. However, it is expected that employees who receive greater support from the organization may experience greater work engagement. Research also found that organizational support as a highly effective organizational based resources creates a positive work attitudes and outcomes that affects people’s health positively which has been identified to reduce work-family conflict and increase work engagement (Foley, Hang-Yue & Lui, 2005).Thompson (1999) found that employees who perceived organizational support reported high work engagement and had low work-family conflict than those who perceived less organizational support. Allen (2001) found that employees who perceived their organization as more supportive, made greater use of available work-family benefit, experience less work-family conflict and greater organization engagement than employees who perceived the organization as less family supportive. In other words, female employees with high level of perceived organizational support are less vulnerable to work-family conflict than those with low level of perceived organizational support (Casper, 2002; Erdwins, 2001; Grant-Vallone & Ensher, 2001). In this regard, perceived organizational support has been shown to reduce work and family conflict (Beehr, Farmer, Glazer, Gudanowski & Nadig Nair, 2003; Oginska-Bulik, 2005), to enable employee to cope better (Willemse, de Jonge, Smit, Depla & Pot, 2012), which may increase work engagement. In the light of these studies, the present study is interested in one 50 moderating role of perceived organizational support in relationship between work-family conflict and work engagement. Perceived Organizational Support Work-family Conflict (WFC) Work Engagement Figure 1: Based on the diagram above, work-family conflict is the independent (predictor) variable while work engagement is the dependent (criterion) variable whereas Perceived organizational support is the moderator. Hypotheses 1 Work-to-family conflict (time-based, strain-based and behaviour-based) will predict work engagement (vigor, dedication and absorption). 2 Family-to-work conflict (time-based, strain-based and behaviour-based) will predict work engagement (vigor, dedication and absorption). 3 Perceived organizational support will predict work engagement (vigor, dedication and absorption). 4 Perceived organizational support will moderate the prediction of work engagement (vigor, dedication and absorption) by work-to-family conflict (time-based, strain based and behaviour-based). 5 Perceived organizational support will moderate the prediction of work engagement (vigor, dedication and absorption) by family-to-work conflict (time-based, strain-based and behaviour-based). Method Participants Two hundred and fifty-nine (259) women between the ages of 21 to 59 (M= 41.49, SD= 8.60) drawn from Enugu State Judiciary (High Court= 77and Magistrate Court= 182) participated in 51 the study. The participants were selected using criterion sampling technique. This method was adopted becaus, it allows the researcher select cases (participants) that meet predetermined criterion of importance (Patton, 2001). Following the criteria set for the sample selection, the participants selected for the study were women (single and married), living with their husbands, had spent at least three years in the organizations, had at least one child and living with at least one of their children. Women that have not spent at least three years in the organization were not included. Demographic characteristics such as age, educational status, years of experience and number of children were explored as control variables. For example, 10 had Ph.D., 59 had LLM/M.Sc., 128 had LLB/B.Sc. and 62 had SSCE/others. Sixty-five had spent 3 years to 10 years while 194 had spent 10 years and above. Ninety-four had no children while 165 had4 children and above. Instruments Work-family Conflict Scale Work-family conflict was measured using 32-item Work-family Conflict Scale (Okonkwo,2014) designed to measure the extent to which a person’s work responsibilities interfere with her family demands and vice versa. Sample item reads “I do not participant well in house hold activities because my job is so challenging that it takes most of my time”. There are only direct scoring items. Ratings were made using 5-point scale ranging from 1 (strongly agree) to 5 (strongly disagree). Okonkwo (2014) provided the psychometric properties of the scale for Nigerian samples, and reported a Cronbach’s alpha reliability coefficients of 0.89 and 0.88 for the two subscales of work-family conflict and convergent validity of 0.55. The researcher conducted a pilot study using sixty-two (62) married female employees drawn from Enugu State Customary Court of Appeal to determine the reliability of the instrument. The researcher obtained a Cronbach’s alpha reliability coefficients of 0.85 and 0.51 for the subscales of work-family conflict. Utrecht Work Engagement Scale Work engagement was measured using a 17-item Utrecht Work Engagement Scale(Schaufeli & Bakker, 2003) designed to measure employees’ work engagement. The scale has three subscales that measure three dimensions of work engagement: vigor, dedication and 52 absorption. Items 1-6 measure vigor which refers to high levels of energy and mental resilience while working, willingness to invest effort in one’s work and persistence in the face of difficulties. Items 7-11 measure dedication which refers to a sense of significance, enthusiasm, inspiration, pride and challenges. Items 12-17 measure absorption which refers to concentration and being happily engrossed in one’s work, so that time seem to pass quickly and one has difficulty in detaching oneself from work. Sample item reads “At my work, I feel bursting with energy”. Ratings were made using 7-point rating scale ranging from 0 (never) to 6 (always). Schaufeli and Bakker (2003) reported a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.93 for the instrument. Ugwu (2013) obtained a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.85 for the scale. A pilot study was conducted by the researcher to determine the reliability of the instrument for use in the present study. Sixty- two (62) married female employees drawn from Enugu State Customary Court of Appeal participated in the pilot study. The researcher obtained a Cronbach’s alpha reliability coefficient of 0.86. Perceived Organizational Support Scale Perceived organizational support was measured using 17-item Perceived Organization Support Scale (Eisenberger, Huntington & Sowa, 1986) designed to measure employees’ perceptions of organizational support. Sample item reads “My organization values my contribution to its well-being”. Ratings were made using 5-point scale ranging from 1 (strongly agree) to 5 (strongly disagree). Eisenberger, Huntington and Sowa (1986) reported a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.74 for the instrument. Onyishi (2006) obtained a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.88 for the scale. The researcher conducted a pilot study using sixty-two (62) married female employees’ drawn from Enugu State Customary Court of Appeal to determine the reliability of the instrument. The researcher obtained a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.77. Procedure The researcher obtained ethical approval from the Chairman Research Ethics Committee Department of Psychology Enugu State University of Science and Technology Agbani for this present study. The researcher in addition, obtained ethical approval for this study from Enugu State Judiciary Ethical Committee. An introductory letter was also obtained from the Head of 53 Psychology Department, Enugu State University of Science and Technology. The researcher with the assistance of the Heads of the Registries of court proceeded to the various chambers to administer the questionnaire to the married female workers in order to elicit their responses. This was done during the working hours but not when the court was sitting. Criterion sampling techniques was used for the selection of the participants who met the criteria set for the study. The participants were instructed to take the copies of the questionnaire home, study them carefully, complete and return them to the Heads of Registries who were the research assistants within one week. Two hundred and eighty copies of questionnaire were distributed, 12% were not returned and 9% were discarded due to incomplete data and errors in completion leaving two hundred and fifty-nine (92.5%) which were used for the analysis. Design and Statistics The research was a cross sectional survey as data were collected to make inferences about the population of interest at one point in time. Moderated multiple hierarchical regression (SPSS version 23) was used for data analysis. The statistics was employed to determine if perceived organizational support will moderate the relationship between work-family conflict (time-based, strain-based and behaviour-based) and work engagement (vigor, dedication and absorption). 54 Results Table 1: Summary table of Moderated Hierarchical Multiple Regression Model for Work Engagement and its dimensions Vigour, Dedication and Absorption among Married Female Judiciary Workers (N = 259) Overall Work Engagement Vigour Work Engagement Dedication Work Engagement Absorption Work Engagement Step1 β Step2 Β Step3 β Step4 Β Step1 Β Step2 Β Step1 β Step2 Β Step1 β Step2 β Age .07 .08 .09 .10 .04 .03 .02 .03 .12 .11 Marital Status .01 .06 .06 .06 -.02 -.04 .02 .05 .05 .04 Living with Husband .05 .00 -.01 -.01 .02 .02 .05 .01 .06 .05 No of Children -.15* -.16** -.15* -.14* -.12 -.13* -.17** -.18*** -.09 -.10 Living with Children -.01 .01 .01 .01 .10 .12 -.07 -.04 -.06 -.04 Educational Level -.06 -.07 -.06 -.06 -.03 -.06 -.06 -.07 -.06 -.08 Years of Experience -.20*** -.16** - .15** -.15* -.17** -.17** -.15* -.12* -.20** -.20** Rank .02 .02 .03 .03 -.02 .03 .03 .03 .034 Perceived Org. Support .17** -.25 -.24 .15* .22*** .08 WIF Time Based -.17* -.01 -.12 WIF Strain Based .17* .02 .16* WIF Behaviour Based -.00 -.03 -.01 FIWW Time Based .19* .21** .18** FI Strain Based -.05 .07 -.09 FIW Behaviour Based .06 .01 .07 WIFTT -.01 -.43 -.43 FIWTT .27*** .26*** .09 POS x WIFTTT .65 .64 POS x FIWTT .17 R2 .078** * .169*** .178 .180 .061* .148** .066* .172** .067* .136** ΔR2 .078** * .091*** .009 .001 .061* .088** .066** .106** .067* .069** * = p < .05; ** = p < .01; *** = p < .001. From Table 1 above, in the first step of moderated hierarchical multiple regression on overall work engagement, eight control variables were entered as a block: age, marital status, living with husband, number of children, living with children, educational level, years of experience and rank. This model was statistically significant (R2=0.78; ΔR2 = .078, p<.001). This explained only 7.8% of the variance in work engagement among female Judiciary workers as a block. However, individually, only number of children (β = -.15, p< .05) and years of experience (β = -.20, p< .001) control variables negatively predicted work engagement. In step 2, when the predictor variables: perceived organizational support and the two major dimensions work-to-family conflict and family-to-work conflict were entered as a block, they added a significant variance in work engagement(R2 =.169; ΔR2 = .091, p<.001), as they explained 9.1% of the variance, hence, supporting hypothesis 1, 2 and 3. Meaning that, perceived organizational support, work-to-family conflict and family-to-work conflict jointly predicted overall work engagement. Independently, only family-to-work conflict positively predicted work engagement (β = .27, p< .001). 55 In step 3, the interaction terms between the moderating and predictor variables (perceived organizational support and work-to-family conflict) were entered in step 3 of the regression model, the two-way interaction terms revealed no significant two-way interactions between perceived organizational support and work-to-family conflict (ΔR2 = .009,p =>.05), thus disconfirming hypothesis 4. In step 4, the interaction terms between the moderating and predictor variables (perceived organizational support and family-to-work conflict) were entered in step 4 of the regression model, the two-way interaction terms revealed no significant two-way interactions between perceived organizational support and family-to-work conflict (ΔR2 = .001, p =>.05), thereby, disconfirming hypothesis 5. Again, from Table 1 above, in the first model of the first step of the moderated hierarchical multiple regression for vigour dimension of work engagement, eight control variables were entered as a block: age, marital status, living with husband, number of children, living with children, educational level, years of experience and rank. This model was statistically significant (R2= .061; ΔR2 = .061,p =<.05) as it explained 6.1% of the variance in vigour dimension ofwork engagement with only years of experience negatively predicting the criteria variable (β = -.17, p< .001). In step 2, when the predictor variables: perceived organizational support, the dimensions of work-to-family (time, strain and behaviour-based) conflict and the dimensions of family-to-work (time, strain and behaviour-based) conflict were entered as a block, they added a significant variance in vigour component of work engagement(R2=.148; ΔR2 = .088,p =<.01), as they explained 8.8% of the variance in the criterion variable (vigour component of work engagement)hence, supporting hypothesis 1, 2 and 3. However, only perceived organizational support (β =.15, p< .05) positively predicted vigor dimension of work engagement, time-based work-to-family conflict (β = -.17, p< .05) negatively predicted vigor dimension of work engagement while strain-based work-to-family conflict (β = .17, p< .05) and time-based family- to-work conflict (β = .19, p< .001) positively predicted vigor component of work engagement. Second model of the moderated hierarchical multiple regression for dedication dimension of work engagement, eight control variables were entered as a block: age, marital status, living with husband, number of children, living with children, educational level, years of experience and 56 rank. This model was statistically significant (R2= .066; ΔR2 = .066, p =<.05) as it explained6.6% of the variance in dedication aspect of work engagement with only number of children (β = -.17, p< .001) and years of experience (β = -.15, p< .001) negatively predicting the criterion variable. In step 2, when the predictor variables: perceived organizational support, the dimensions of work-to-family (time, strain and behaviour-based) conflict and the dimensions of family-to-work (time, strain and behaviour based) conflict were entered as a block, they added a significant variance in dedication component of work engagement (R2= .172; ΔR2 = .106,p =<.001) as they explained 17.2% of the variance in the criterion variable, hence, supporting hypothesis 1, 2 and 3. More so, only perceived organizational support (β = .22, p< .05) and time-based family-to- work conflict (β = .21, p< .001) independently predicted dedication dimension of work engagement. Finally, from Table 1 above, in the first step of moderated hierarchical multiple regression for absorption dimension of work engagements, eight control variables were entered as a block: age, marital status, living with husband, number of children, living with children, educational level, years of experience and rank. This model was statistically significant (R2 = .067; ΔR2 = .067, p =<.05) as it explained 6.7% of the variance in the absorption component of work engagement with only years of experience (β = -.20, p< .001) negatively predicting the criterion variable. In step 2, when the predictor variables: perceived organizational support, the dimensions of work-to-family (time, strain and behaviour-based) conflict and the dimensions of family to work (time, strain and behaviour-based) conflict were entered as a block, they added a significant variance in absorption component of work engagement (R2 = .136; ΔR2 = .069,p =<.001), as they explained 13.6% of the variance in the criterion variable absorption of work engagement, hence, supporting hypothesis 1, 2 and 3. However, only strain-based work-to-family conflict (β = .16, p< .05) and time-based family-to-work conflict (β = .18, p< .001) independently and positively predicted the absorption component of work engagement. Discussion Considering the results, the first hypothesis which stated that work-to-family conflict (time-based, strain-based and behaviour-based) will predict work engagement (vigor, dedication and absorption) was supported. According to the results, all the components of work-to-family 57 conflict (time-based, strain-based and behaviour-based) jointly with family-to-work conflict and perceived organizational support predicted all the components of work engagement (vigor, dedication and absorption). Independently, work-to-family conflict did not predict. The joint prediction as stated earlier is in line with Yang et.al. (2020) findings which found a significant relationship between work-family conflict and work engagement. This finding implies that irrespective of the time these women invested in the work domain, perception of strain and behaviour obligations, they maintained resilience, enthusiasm and they did not detach from their family roles. However, the results revealed that time-based work-to-family conflict independently and negatively predicted vigor dimension of work engagement, thus supporting the first hypothesis. The result is in congruence with Opie and Henn (2013) findings which reported that work-family conflict negatively predicted work engagement. This result simply implies that the more time these women invested in discharging their work duties in the organization interfered with their family responsibilities, the lower the energy and mental resilience put in their work roles. This may be attributed to reduced manpower in Enugu State Judiciary as female employees put in more time while engaging in multiple roles all in the bid to comply with work and family responsibilities thus affecting their ability to engage in their work. In contrast, strain-based work-to-family conflict independently and positively predicted vigor dimension of work engagement, hence supporting the first hypothesis. This finding suggests that the higher the perceived stressors in the work and family domain, the higher the level of energy and willingness to dispense effort in the discharge of duties. This may be attributed to the view that women working in the Judiciary are often exposed to stress and stringent work conditions which help them build resilience required in shouldering work and family responsibilities. The result is not in line with Listau et al., (2017) findings which found that vigor had a negative relationship with work-home conflict. Behaviour-based work-to-family conflict independently did not predict vigor dimension of work engagement. This suggests that when employees behaviour expected in the work domain interfered with behaviour in the family domain, it was not related to the level of energy and mental resilience while doing their job. 58 Time-based work-to-family conflict independently did not predict dedication dimension of work engagement. This suggests that the more time these women invested in the work domain which interfered with the time given to family responsibilities had nothing to do with their their enthusiasm and genuine care about their work roles. The result is not in agreement with Olabimitan (2019) findings which found a positive relationship between work-family conflict and work engagement. Similarly, strain-based work-to-family conflict independently did not predict the dedication dimension of work engagement. This finding indicates that the higher strain created by work demands interfering with family demands was not related to these women’s dedication to their work. This may be attributed to the view that the stress they perceived from their work and family roles had nothing to do with preventing them from concentrating more on their job roles. Also, behaviour-based work-to-family conflict independently did not predict the dedication dimension of work engagement. The fifth result from the first hypothesis shows that time-based work-to-family conflict independently did not predict the absorption dimension of work engagement. This suggests that the time the women put in carrying out their work roles which interfered with family responsibilities did not relate to absorption in their work responsibilities. Strain-based work-to-family conflict independently and positively predicted the absorption dimension of work engagement, thereby supporting the first hypothesis. A possible explanation for this finding can be linked to the fact that married female employees in the Judiciary who are happily engrossed in their work and family roles develop better efficiency and abilities that can help improve overall performance buffering the effect of job strain on the employee. Behaviour-based work-to-family conflict independently did not predict the absorption dimension of work engagement. This suggests that when the expected work behaviour of employees which interfered with family behaviour did not associate with absorption in work. The result is contrary to Yang et.al. (2020), finding which found a positive relationship between work-family conflict and work engagement. 59 The second hypothesis which stated that family-to-work conflict (time-based, strain- based and behaviour-based) will predict work engagement (vigor, dedication and absorption) was supported as time-based, strain-based and behaviour-based family-to-work conflict jointly and positively predicted work engagement (vigor, dedication and absorption). The study is in line with Balogun and Afolabi (2019) findings which demonstrated a positive relationship between work-family conflict and work engagement. This finding may have taken this turn due to the socio-economic needs of women in the family and society at large. So regardless of the time invested in the family and work domain, perception of strain and behaviour obligations, women tend to maintain resilience, be strongly involved and have difficulties detaching from their duties due to the jobs significance in providing their needs and a sense of pride obtained while assuming multiple roles. However, the results reported that time-based family-to-work conflict independently and positively predicted vigor dimension of work engagement, thus supporting the second hypothesis. This finding explains that the more time Judiciary women put in discharging their family obligations interfered with their work roles, the higher the level of energy and mental resilience put in their work roles. Strain-based family-to-work conflict independently did not predict vigor dimension of work engagement. This finding suggests that the strain resulting from family roles interfering with the women’s participation in the work did not relate to readiness to devote energy during work and perseverance while working in difficult situations. Behaviour-based family-to-work conflict independently did not predict vigor dimension of work engagement. This result indicates that the expected behaviour of these women in the family interference with their behaviour work behaviour was not associated with energy and resilience while doing their job. The result is in contrast with Zong-bo et al. (2013) which found that work engagement had a positive impact on work-family conflict. Time-based family-to-work conflict independently and positively predicted dedication dimension of work engagement, thereby supporting the second hypothesis. This suggests that the higher the time these employees invested in the family domain interfered with the time in discharging their work duties in the organization, the more they strongly get involved in their job roles. 60 Strain-based family-to work conflict independently did not predict dedication dimension of work engagement. This implies that the perceived stressors from the family interfering with the women’s work demands did not correlate with the enthusiasm and significance in their job. Similarly, behaviour-based family-to-work conflict independently did not predict dedication dimension of work engagement. This finding suggests that the expected behaviour required in the family which interfered with work behaviour of these women was not associated with dedication to their job. Time-based family-to-work conflict independently and positively predicted absorption dimension of work engagement. The result implies that the more time these women invested in carrying out family responsibilities which interfered with their work roles, the more they were engrossed in discharging their work duties. More so, strain-based family-to-work conflict independently did not predict absorption dimension of work engagement. The result indicates that the strain created by family demands interfering with work responsibilities was not related with the women been engrossed in their work duties. Also, behaviour-based family-to-work conflict independently did not predict absorption dimension of work engagement. This finding suggests that when specific behaviour required in the family by these women interfered with their behaviour in the workplace, it was not found to be related to their absorption in their work responsibilities. The result is not in agreement with Chandra et.al. (2019) findings which revealed a negative relationship between work-family conflict and work engagement. The third hypothesis which stated that perceived organizational support will predict work engagement (vigor, dedication and absorption) was supported as findings revealed positive prediction of work engagement by perceived organizational support. This result is in congruence with Jankelova et al. (2021) findings which revealed a significant positive relationship between perceived organizational support and employee work engagement. This may be attributed to the view that when these women in the Judiciary felt valued and supported by their organizations, they experienced psychological, social and emotional well-being which subsequently led to high work engagement. This result is in line with Job Demand-resources Theory (Baker & Demerouti, 2007) which suggests that when employees seek more resources at work, they engage more in their work. 61 The findings further revealed that independently, perceived organizational support positively predicted vigor dimension of work engagement. This finding suggests that when women working in Enugu State Judiciary perceived that their employers’ respected their needs and valued their wellbeing they willingly invested energy while discharging their responsibilities even in the face of difficulties. Similarly, perceived organizational support positively predicted dedication dimension of work engagement. This implies that when these women perceived support from the Judiciary, they were dedicated to their work responsibilities with a sense of pride and enthusiasm. Furthermore, perceived organizational support positively predicted absorption dimension of work engagement. This finding shows that if perceived organizational support was high, then female employees working in Enugu State Judiciary experienced high work engagement. These findings are in line with Job Demand-resources Theory(Baker & Demerouti, 2007) which suggests that people strive to maintain resources that help buffer the effect of job demand on an individual. More so, workplace resources such as organizational support often increases employees ‘resilience and enthusiasm keeping an individual engrossed with work roles. The fourth hypothesis which stated that perceived organizational support will moderate the prediction of work engagement by work-to-family conflict has not been supported because perceived organizational support did not moderate the prediction of work engagement by work- to-family conflict. Hence, this study is in line with Agu, Ugwu and Kanu (2018) which found an insignificant effect of perceived organizational support as a moderator in the negative relationship between target setting and job engagement. This finding implies that perceived organizational support did not buffer the negative impact of work-to-family conflict on work engagement. The fifth hypothesis which stated that perceived organizational support will moderate the prediction of work engagement by family-to-work conflict was also not supported. This finding shows that perceived organizational support failed to buffer the effect of family-to-work conflict on employees work engagement. Implications of the findings The findings of this study have theoretical, empirical and practical implications. Theoretically, this study contributed to our understanding of perceived organizational support, 62 work-family conflict and work engagement among women working in Enugu State Judiciary. The findings of this study have given credence to Job Demand-resources Theory (Bakker & Demerouti, 2007) which posits that job resources reduce costs associated with job demands leading to positive work outcomes such as work engagement. This support is based on the fact that the present study found perceived organizational support a positive predictor of work engagement. Empirically, the findings of this study are in tandem with previous findings. (e.g., Rantanen et.al. 2013; Listau et al. 2017; Chass & Balu, 2018; Jian-min et al. 2011) which found relationships among work-family conflict, perceived organizational support and work engagement. Practically, Nigerian Judiciary especially Enugu State Judiciary should make support for workers (e.g., flex time, annual leave, grant, health insurance, feedback system, incentives and autonomy) paramount as perceived organizational support was found to be a positive predictor of work engagement. Limitations of the study There are some limitations in this study. First, the generalization of the findings of this study is limited to women working at Enugu State Judiciary, thereby questioning the external validity of the findings. Secondly, all data were obtained from the participants at one point in time using self-report measures which might have created window for social desirable responses. Thirdly, the sample size was too small which might have affected the results of the study. 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