Diversity

Managing work-life balance: Looking more deeply into the needs of work-life balance for women

Introduction

Managing Work-life balance has become an important task for companies in the 21st century. This is particularly important for women, as they are traditionally assumed, and most of them are, having the role of housewife. The main aim of this essay is to discuss how different factors affect the need for women’s work-life balance. Debates in society have been bringing out the importance of family and work. However, they have been neglecting one important factor, which is the financial situation of women. Hence, I will first talk the issue of women’s work-life balance and the problems they face, following by my argument that part-time jobs may not be a good solution, and finally develop solutions which can better address all the needs including financial one. I will also include case examples to support my argument and finally I will end it with a conclusion.

Women and Work-Life Balance

Work-life balance of women has been long related to their dual responsibilities. According to a study in Kelera, most women have a dual-role, which include pursuing their career and taking care of their family. However, they do face work-family conflicts (Thomas, 2013). The respondents in the research show that the major problem of work-life balance is time pressure, in which they are not having enough time to achieve tasks in both sides, and also work overload. The amount of work from their full-time work caused them frustrated when they cannot have sufficient time for their family. Having these problems while trying to balance their work and life, some women choose to gain flexibility by finding seasonal or part-time jobs. According to the British Household Panel Survey, it is found that women are 50 percent more likely to hold non-permanent jobs than men. This simply shows that doing part-time job is a primary way for women to gain flexibility in market.

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