Balancing Work/Life.
Strategies for Women & Men
To explore work/life balance
Coping strategies parent use to
manage multiple roles
What organizations are doing to
help parents
A supportive family culture.
Wk 7
1
Work/family or work life Balance. Can you
have it all? Or do you have to make
choices/
• Is Your Life Out of Balance
• Assign % according to the importance of these
areas in your life (=100%)
• Work (or school) _%
• Family (rel) __%
• Leisure __%
• Community __%
• Religion (spiritual) __%
Wk 7
2
Assign % according to the amt of time & energy
u devote..(=100%)
• Work (school) __%
• Family (rel)__%
• Leisure __%
• Community __%
• Religion (spiritual) __%
Compare the 2 columns (this slide & before). Is
there a discrepancy bet values & behaviour. If
yes, how comfortable are u with the imbalance? Is
it temporary? What can u do to improve?
Source: Smith, Women at Work p 165
Wk 7
3
Types of Work/Family Conflict
• Time based conflict. Eg. Parents who have to
clock in early, can’t take their kids to the school?
Part-time students have to miss last hr of the
class..Pressure from one role cause someone to
be preoccupied with that role, although
physically present in another role.
• Strain-based conflict. Anxiety by the demands of
work or family role interude or “spill over” into
the other role, making it difficult to fulfill the
responsibilities of that role. Eg…if a child is sick,
u as parent may not concentrate fully on your
job..
Wk 7
4
Behaviour based conflict
• Behaviours expected or appropriate in the family
role (emotional sensitivity) viewed as
inappropriate/dyfunctional when used at work.
Women directors are expected to be authoritative,
decisive at work but at home, these behaviours
may be dyfunctional.
• What are factors associated with
work/family conflict?
• Demographics
• Attitudinal
• Workplace characteristics
Wk 7
5
Gender & Life Cycle
• Men & Women experience work/family
conflict at different life cycle: young children,
traditional attitudes toward parenting, large
families, inflexible work schedules,
unsupportive superiors
• 3 Stages: families with preschool children,
families with grade school children, families
with adolescents.
• Men w/f conflict decreases as their families
went tru 3 stages; women’s w/f conflict did
not decrease until the 3rd stage.
Wk 7
6
Individual coping
• Understand the situation: why the stress
1. modifying the situation
2. changing the meaning of stress
3. managing the symptoms of stress
Organizational (A FamilyFriendly).
Varieties of policies & programs
1. Time based. 2. information based. 3. money
based & 4. Direct services.
Wk 7
7
Are there barriers in implementing
organization family-friendly programs?
• Ingrained cultural values & assumptions
on work & non work domains eg..
• Structural difficulties
• Lack of support from managers
• Perception family issues are women
issues
• Striking equity among all employees
• Lack of evaluation data on work/life
programs
Wk 7
8
References
• Dayle, Women at work
• LPPKN, Special Focus, Finding a Balance
between Career & Family Demands (New
Straits Times, Malaysia)
• Maimunah et.al, High Flyer Women
Academicians…Women in Management
Review
• Report on Women in Higher Education
(Webclass)
Wk 7
9