An Empirical Investigation Into the Antecedents of the Perceptions of Work-Life Balance of Professional Women

Abstract

The entrance of women into the workforce in large numbers in the 20th century was one of the pivotal moments that changed the traditional family work roles of mom at home and dad in the workplace. Maintaining a balance in those roles between work and nonwork life has been the subject of much research (Ferguson et al., 2015; Goode, 1960; Greenhaus & Powell, 2006; Hogarth et al., 2001). Studies show that when employees feel support from the employer, they become more committed to the organization, and that work-life balance (WLB) policies increase organizational performance (Ferguson et al., 2015; Lazar et al., 2010). Furthermore, Ferguson et al. (2015) showed that the spillover effect enables supported employees to gain balance in both domains of work and personal life. There is a gap in this research, however, related to professional women and their role in balancing the changing dynamics of work and the diverse family. The COVID-19 pandemic brought the exceptional challenges faced by women professionals into sharp focus, as well as the significant mental and physical health consequences that can follow when adequate support is absent. Using a mixed-methods research design and a convenience sample of 184 participants, I examined how professional women maintained a balance between life and work. I also explored how work-family conflict and family-work conflict impact the perceived satisfaction of work-life balance (Voydanoff, 2004). Quantitative data were collected through a 109-question online survey, while qualitative data were derived from the analysis of six one-on-one in-depth interviews and narrative question responses provided by 133 survey respondents. Multiple regression analysis showed that four of six independent variables had a significant impact on WLB satisfaction: having WLB policies (p < .01) and team resources (p < .001) present in the workplace, and time for self (p < .001), were all positively related to WLB satisfaction, while work-family conflict was negatively related (p < .001). Using the same six constructs, an a priori analysis of responses to an open-ended survey question showed that 71% of responses aligned with two of the constructs: WLB policies and time for self. Three themes emerged from pattern coding of six interview transcripts, validating the importance of WLB, the difficulty in achieving it, and the need for support. Implications for practice were offered in three areas: organizations, government, and professional women. Collectively, they reinforce the importance of having WLB policies in the workplace and ensuring that employees know them; promoting practices such as the use of team resources, flexible schedules, advocacy, and mentoring; and having an independent government agency to rationalize and deconflict workplace policies and ensure that policy decision-making is based on data. Implications for future research include conducting the study using a random sample, conducting it solely with men, and conducting it outside the COVID-19 pandemic era.