Perception of Work-Life Balance – A Phenomenological Study of Married Working Women in Education Sector

Abstract

Work-life balance is the right balance between personal and professional aspects of life. Married working women in the education sector face challenges to keep their work-life balance. The purpose of this research was to understand and explore the perception of the work-life balance of married working women in the education sector. The objectives of this research were to understand the idea of work-life balance of married working women in the education sector, the obstacles they face in achieving work-life balance and how do they achieve it. The phenomenological study tool of qualitative research has been applied in this research. A semi-structured interview questionnaire has been used as a data collection tool. Data has been collected on convenience-based purposive sampling from three married working women in the education sector. During the analysis of the data, three themes and their subthemes have been identified from the data collected. The data analysis indicates that the perception of the work-life balance of married working women in the education sector is balancing between different spheres of life, managing the time and decision making. Moreover, these women face various challenges such as taking multiple roles, managing personal and professional life, work dynamics, making compromises, and facing physical and mental health problems in achieving work-life balance. Additionally, sacrificing, focusing on the responsibilities at hand, and spouse support as some of the coping strategies highlighted by married working women to achieve work-life balance.