This paper investigates the relationship between working life and family life by privileging an entry by the occupational/professional group in order to highlight the influence of occupational/professional norms on how to live and manage this relationship and the underlying tensions. Drawn on a questionnaire survey in French-speaking Belgium concerning 314 nurses-parents and 284 police officers-parents, the research results obviously show the role of gender, but also some interesting differences between the two occupations where feelings and mitigation modes of tensions between work and family are different. In conclusion, authors suggest to conceptualize the differences observed as two contrasted models: on the one hand, a sequential model in the nursing environment; on the other hand, an integrative model in the police.

• family
• work
• gender
• police officers
• nurses

https://www.erudit.org/fr/revues/efg/2013-n18-efg0479/1014576ar/