Abstract
University faculty frequently navigate competing demands across their professional and family roles, making job autonomy an important yet complex resource for well-being. Although prior research has established a positive association between job autonomy and employee well-being, less is known about the work–family processes through which autonomy contributes to faculty well-being and how these processes may vary by gender. Drawing on Conservation of Resources Theory, we employed a mixed-methods study to examine the relationship between job autonomy and university faculty’s subjective well-being and further explored the boundary and work–family processes underlying this relationship. Study 1 used survey data from 206 university faculty members in China and tested mediation and moderated mediation models. The results showed that job autonomy was positively associated with subjective well-being, with boundary control and work–family balance serving as independent and sequential mediators. Gender further moderated the relationship between job autonomy and work–family balance, such that the positive association was stronger among female faculty. Study 2 used semi-structured interviews with ten university faculty members to further explain these quantitative findings. The qualitative findings showed that faculty used autonomy to proactively coordinate work and family demands, while autonomy could also increase work permeability and self-regulatory demands. Together, the findings demonstrate that job autonomy is both a resource for well-being and a condition that reshapes how faculty manage work–family boundaries, highlighting the importance of gender and contextual responsibilities in understanding its consequences.