Student workers' work-life balance: Review, synthesis, and research agenda

The number of college students employed while in school is increasing due to the rising cost of higher education. There are also working adults who are returning to school to obtain higher education or professional degrees while maintaining their paid jobs. This indicates that many working individuals have to manage work, school, and life demands, but little attention has been paid to their experiences in multirole conflict and facilitation. This chapter introduces student workers as an important yet underexplored population in the area of work-life balance. We first explain why this population is important to study in the contemporary world of work and briefly define the major concepts of work-school conflict and facilitation. Next, we provide a review of literature that summarizes and integrates what is known about the antecedents and consequences of the work-school interface. On the basis of identified gaps in the literature, we suggest directions for future research to better understand student workers' work-nonwork life balance, followed by a brief conclusion.