‘Double Trouble for Women’: Nexus Between Personality, Gender and Work–Family Balance in Masculine-stereotyped Journalism

Journalism’s masculine occupational culture creates a ‘double trouble’ for women journalists—they must navigate demanding professional conditions while conforming to gender role expectations that constrain their work–family balance (WFB). Drawing on Conservation of Resources (COR) Theory and Social Role Theory, this study examines how Big Five personality traits influence WFB among Indian journalists and whether gender moderates these relationships. Moderated hierarchical regression analysis was conducted on cross-sectional data from 312 journalists employed in Indian print media organisations. Results reveal that extraversion and openness to experience positively predicted WFB, while neuroticism negatively predicted WFB. Agreeableness and conscientiousness did not emerge as universal resources, revealing meaningful boundary conditions of personality-based resource models in high-demand professions such as journalism. Gender significantly moderated the personality–WFB relationship for extraversion, agreeableness and neuroticism, confirming that resource conversion is not uniform across genders. These findings advance COR theory by demonstrating that personal resources do not carry fixed value; however, their effectiveness is contingent upon the gendered institutional structures that condition their expression and conversion into WFB. Practically, the study calls for gender-responsive human resource management (HRM) strategies that enable all journalists to leverage their personal resources equitably within the newsroom environment.