Introduction
In a conventional family structure, based on the expectations of society, a man has a breadwinner role, and a woman has a homemaker role. Historically, social norms have dictated that women should refrain from pursuing higher education due to the prevailing belief that higher education can limit their homemaker roles. When a woman wants to develop her skills through education or employment, she will face social scrutiny and will be criticized for neglecting her responsibilities as a homemaker [1]. Therefore, contemporary perspectives are gradually altering the societal stigma [2]. Due to the increased number of educated women, family structures are shifting from traditional single-earner families to dual-earner families. This necessitates the assumption of multiple work and family roles. This can lead to role conflicts among couples [3]. The work-family conflict (WFC) refers to a type of inter-role conflict characterized by incompatible work and family roles [2]. In the workplace, a woman demonstrates qualities such as dedication, dynamism, competitiveness, directness, and a lack of sentimentality. She is expected to conduct herself in a manner appropriate for the workplace. Conversely, in her personal life, she is expected to have kindness, gentleness, sensitivity, adaptability, no assertiveness, and focus on family roles [3]. The modern industrial society creates challenges in maintaining work-family balance due to the escalating expectations in both workplace and family, resulting in work-family conflicts [4]. Excessive working hours and heavy workloads can lead to WFC. It can reduce the time and energy that are needed for family roles [2, 5]. If WFCs remain unaddressed, it can have a significant negative impact on various aspects in affected employees, including job performance, job satisfaction, job engagement, work-related stress, and family well-being. Indeed, it can also have consequences for both co-workers and family members [3, 6].
Zahoor et al. showed that WFC has a negative relationship with job performance [7]. The lack of assistance for maintaining work-family balance poses a significant danger to individual performance [2]. In contrast, Yavas et al. [8] reported a significant correlation between WFC and job performance. Individuals who encounter interpersonal problems and strain in the workplace often show a tendency to prioritize their work tasks as a means of protection against additional anxiety and improvement of overall performance [8]. Li et al. [6] showed that the correlation value between WFC and organizational performance is low and non-significant [6]. This research aims to assess the relationship of work-life imbalance, work-related stress, and WFC with the performance of working women in Indonesia.

Literature review

Work-family conflict
The WFC refers to a form of multiple role conflict due to incompatible work and family responsibilities [1]. The conflict between work and family roles is inevitable due to their opposing forces. This incompatibility arises from the distinct demands, priorities, norms, expectations, and requirements for each domain. The WFC is a stressor that emerges when individuals devote a greater amount of time to their work responsibilities, in conflict with their family roles [9].

Work-life imbalance
The work-life balance refers to the allocation of time to work-related responsibilities and personal life, particularly those related to family commitments. Work-life imbalance occurs when an individual is unable to create harmony between work demands and  personal life [10]. The concept of work-life imbalance includes three fundamental components: Work, life, and the state of imbalance [11]. The work-life imbalance can affect the family domain or work performance, causing stress and negative work-related attitudes. This imbalance has a positive correlation with job burnout [9]. It has several consequences including declined work performance, high absenteeism and turnover, decreased job satisfaction, and reduced organizational productivity. Additionally, it can negatively affect the relationships within the family, leading to strained spousal or family dynamics, anxiety, depression, and dissatisfaction, as well as poor physical well-being at the personal and family levels [12].  

Work-related stress
Stress is a substantial imbalance between demand and  response capability under conditions where failure to meet demands has significant consequences [10]. According to Mauli et al. [13], work-related stress refers to negative psychological and physiological reactions by an individual resulting from pressures and strains disruption in the work environment [14]. Three different kinds of work demands that can cause stress in an organization are task demands, role demands, and interpersonal demands [10]. The symptoms of work-related stress include low job satisfaction, decreased job performance, loss of enthusiasm and energy, poor communication, poor decision-making ability, lack of creativity and innovation, and engaging in non-productive tasks [14]. Work-related stress experienced by employees can be due to environmental, organizational, and individual factors. Environmental factors such as environmental uncertainty, which can affect organizational structures and technological advancements. Organizational factors include high work demands. Individual factors include personal characteristics and attributes of an employee [15].

Employee performance
The performance of employees is influenced by the degree to which they contribute to the organizational success and performing the tasks assigned to them [16، 17]. The evaluation of employee performance includes the determination of employees’ function in fulfilling their responsibilities within the organization. This assessment is widely employed by organizations to determine the competence of employees [18].

Hypothesis development
The occurrence of WFC can affect the work-related stress level and job performance. This impact can be observed when employees choose to bring their work assignments home, leading to disruptions in their personal life and subsequently causing improper behaviours. Therefore, it can be said that the employee performance may be affected by the presence of stress, which can create negative spillover effects [9]. Majekodunni's findings indicated a significant negative correlation between job performance and WFC [3]. The WFC’s negative effect on employee productivity and performance is induced mostly through the mechanism of reducing job satisfaction [4، 19]. In a study in Pakistan, the presence of work-life imbalance was found to have a negative impact on employee performance [20]. The lack of employees' ability to effectively fulfill their work and personal life responsibilities can have a negative impact on their performance in both domains [20، 21]. Hughes & Bozionelos showed that work-life imbalance seriously reduces the quality of life and job performance [22]. Prior studies have also elucidated that individuals experiencing imbalances in their employment had a demanding and frenzied work schedule [23], which can affect job satisfaction and reduce performance [9]. The occurrence of WFC can lead to work-related stress if the person is unable to effectively cope with the conflict [1، 7]. This can affect job performance [9]. In a study conducted in the United States, it was reported that employees frequently encounter WFCs due to the persistent stress caused by work expectations [24]. Based on the above mentioned materials, the research hypotheses are formulated as below (Figure1):
Work-family conflict is related to work-related stress of employees;
Work-life imbalance is related to work-related stress of employees;
Work-family conflict is related to employee performance;
Work-life imbalance is related to employee performance
Work-related stress is related to employee performance




Methods
This cross-sectional study was carried out from March to May 2023 in Indonesia, due to an increase in rate of domestic violence reaching 284,169 cases in this country [25]. The participants were 404 female married workers, who were selected using a purposive sampling technique. They signed an informed consent form, after explaining the study objectives to them. They were assured of the confidentiality of their information and were free to leave the study. Using Google Forms, a research-made a questionnaire was designed to collect data. It has 28 items rated on a 5-point Likert scale from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree), adapted from previous studies [26]for measuring WFC [3] this study looks at the correlation between work-family-conflict, family-work-conflict and job performance of working mothers. The descriptive survey research design was used for the study. The population of the study comprised all working mothers in public hospital (nurses, work-life imbalance [11، 27], work-related stress [28، 29], and employee performance [30]. A quantitative approach using structural equation modelling (SEM) was to assess the assess the hypotheses in Smart PLS application. The research hypothesis can be confirmed if t >1.96 and P<0.05 [31].

Results

Characteristics of the respondents
The distribution of respondents based on age and level of education is shown in Table 1. Most participants (40%) were 26-30 years old, and 53% had undergraduate academic education.




Validity and reliability of the questionnaire
The convergent validity refers to the degree of agreement among multiple items that measure the same construct. According to Hair et al. [32] convergent validity is examined by taking into account factor loading, composite reliability, and average variance extracted (AVE). The recommended loading value is 0.7; but a scores of 0.5 and 0.6 are also acceptable. The results in Table 2 show that the measurement model was acceptable, according to the loading factors, composite reliability, and the AVE > 0.5 [32، 33]. The author decided to delete the items EP2 and EP3 because their loading factors were below 0.7. Cronbach’s alpha value for all variables was above 0.70, indicating the good reliability of the measurement constructs.



Discriminant validity refers to the extent to which an item distinguishes between distinct constructs or measures [32، 33]. The assessment of discriminant validity was done by examining the square root of the AVE and the correlations between the distinct constructs [32، 33]. Table 3 presents the results for the discriminant validity of the questionnaire. As can be seen, the square root of the AVE is greater than the correlation values. Thus, the measurement model has acceptable discriminant validity.




Testing hypotheses
Figure 2 illustrates the SEM model of the relationship of independent variables (WFC, work-life imbalance, work-related stress) with the dependent variable (employee performance), and the path coefficients (t values). 



According to the results in Table 4, the findings of testing the hypotheses showed that WFC had a significant relationship with work-related stress (P<0.001), and work-life imbalance had a significant relationship with work-related stress (P<0.001). The WFC had no significant relationship with employee performance (P=0.690). The work-life imbalance had no significant relationship with employee performance, either (P=0.137). Finally, the work-related stress had a negative significant relationship with employee performance (P=0.003).



Discussion
The results confirmed the first and second hypotheses of this study. Therefore, WFC and work-life imbalance had significant relationship with work-related stress of working women in Indonesia. These results are consistent with the results of previous studies, [1، 7, 20، 21]. To play family and work roles perfectly, working mothers need to sacrifice one of them. Therefore, they experience WFC because time and energy need to be allocated to both family and work domains. This can cause stress for the them for the proper time allocation [3]. Work-life imbalance also causes stress in employees because the high work demands make them sacrifice their family roles [9].  
 The results did not confirm the third and fourth hypotheses. Therefore, WFC and work-life imbalance had no significant relationship with the performance of working women in Indonesia. This is against the results of previous studies which showed that work-family conflict had a negative effect on employee performance [4، 19] and work-life imbalance had a negative effect on employee performance [22]. The results can be due to the affinity of women for the work and their financial obligations to meet family responsibilities [34]. The findings are consistent with the results of Li et al., who reported conflicting results regarding the significance of the association between WFC and organizational performance [6].
The results confirmed the fifth hypothesis of this study and showed that work-related stress had a negative relationship with the performance of working women. This result is consistent with the results of a previous study [9]. Nayak and Pandey [12] explained that employees with high levels of stress, absenteeism, and monotony have decreased employee performance. The support from supervisors has a significant role in mitigating the effects of stress and negative feelings at work. Consequently, it can help employees enhances their overall work efficiency [35].
The results confirmed the fifth hypothesis of this study and showed that work-related stress had a negative relationship with the performance of working women. This result is consistent with the results of a previous study [9]. Nayak and Pandey [12] especially for women employee because of dual responsibility of their work and home, it is very difficult to maintain a proper balance between work and life and consequently they face work-life conflict. This paper focuses on various variables related to work-life conflict. A conceptual model has been drawn on the basis of extensive literature identifying the work demand and family demand and also enlighten the various problem arises as a result of work life imbalances. The paper has been concluded with remarkable inference drawn from conceptual model and vast review of literature. It has been found that work demand is related to work-family conflict(WFC explained that employees with high levels of stress, absenteeism, and monotony have decreased employee performance. The support from supervisors has a significant role in mitigating the effects of stress and negative feelings at work. Consequently, it can help employees enhances their overall work efficiency [35].

Conclusion
The WFC and work-life imbalance have a positive significant relationship with work-related stress of working women in Indonesia, and work-related stress can negatively affect their work performance. However, the WFC and work-life imbalance have no significant association with their work performance, maybe due to economic factors and their need to work. Organizational and managerial support is recommended for employees to help them attain a harmony between work obligations and family responsibilities. The implementation of a work-family management program is also needed to improve work performance of married women.
Research Limitations and Future Research
While this study provides useful insights into the links between WFC, work-life imbalance, work-related stress, and work performance of married female workers in Indonesia, there were some limitations. First, the study was conducted on Indonesian women, which may limit the generalizability of the results to other societies with varied social norms and workplace dynamics. Second, we only assessed married women. The studies on other countries and married working men with different family statuses are recommended. Further studies with longitudinal designs, and a deeper examination of moderating factors are also recommended. Future study should examine the effectiveness of interventions for improving work and life performance of working women.

Ethical Considerations

Compliance with ethical guidelines
This study received ethical approval from the Universitas Negeri Jakarta on February 1, 2023 (Code: 1697/UN39.5.FE/EC/2023).

Funding
This research was funded by the Universitas Negeri Jakarta.

Authors contributions
Conceptualization: Christian Wiradendi Wolor; Investigation: Ahmad Nurkhin and Datu Razali Datu Eranz; Review and editing: Mahmoud Ali Rababah; Supervision: Christian Wiradendi Wolor.

Conflicts of interest
The authors declare no conflict of interest in this work.

Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank all women participated in this study for their cooperation


 

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