• Romy Forman
• 209055865
• Business Management –
York Business School
• I declare that I am the sole
author of this assignment, and
the work is a result of my
own investigation, except
where otherwise stated. All
references have been duly
cited
HOW DO GEN Z AND MILLENNIAL
WOMEN ACHIEVE AND MANAGE A
HEALTHY WORK-LIFE BALANCE,
AND TO WHAT EXTENT IS THE
NOTION OF 'HAVING IT ALL'
ATTAINABLE IN CONTEMPORARY
SOCIETY?
INTRODUCTION
This presentation is going to represent how I am going to undertake researching women’s
work/life balance and the notion of ‘having it all’ whilst working within today’s society
• This research is taking place in the form of a traditional dissertation and the rest of this
presentation will consist of the following topics:
• A literature review
• Research methodology and strategy
• Research ethics
• Issues of trustworthiness
• Skills Gaps and a Career Plan
• Conclusion
How do Gen Z and Millennial
women achieve and manage a
healthy work-life balance, and to
what extent is the notion of
'having it all' attainable in
contemporary society?
My objectives:
RESEARCH
QUESTION &
OBJECTIVES
To assess how women of
different ages manage the key
challenge of a healthy work-life
balance by examining the
literature
To evaluate the notion of
’having it all’ and understand
what that means in modern
society
To analyse with the use of
thematic analysis the data
received from semi-structured
interviews in order to gain an
understanding of women’s
work-life balance
What is a work-life balance?
LITERATURE REVIEW
• The term ‘work-life balance’ can be described
as an aspect of life that men and women alike
try and pursue which can often become
frustrating. Although, the main portrayal of this
term is not having enough time to handle work
commitments alongside having a personal life
(Lockwood, N.R, 2003)
• It is also not a term that is only considered
recently, as early as the 1930’s companies such
as Kellogg took employee satisfaction into
account by reducing the length of shifts.
• Later on in the 1900s companies offered
work/life programs that placed a narrower
focus on women with children however more
recently this focus is more broad by
recognising commitments not just limited to
family (Lockwood, N.R, 2003)
Covid 19 had a huge impact on the atmosphere in a workplace
Has employee’s work/life balance returned to normal after the
pandemic?
LITERATURE
REVIEW PART 2
Work and home life intertwined which can be advantageous or a
disadvantage as people noticed a change in the quality of their home life
but consequently discovered it was challenging to separate the two
(Vyas, 2002)
Focusing on women, generation X who are married and have a family life
face a challenge of balancing work and family duties
The spillover theory encompasses this as it shows an integration
between happiness at work and home (Zedeck, 1990)
Women can find themselves under immense pressure as an increase in demand at work
and long working hours are now a norm, which has made it more challenging for
women to be satisfied in all their roles and a conflict can be created with work and
family life (Lakshmi and Prasanth, 2018).
LITERATURE REVIEW: PART 3
Is ‘having it all’ a myth?
Hewlett (2002) expressed that having a high powered career produces a
sacrifice that women are forced to make, as it was discovered a third of
high achieving women in the USA did not have children, and if they did it
cost them their career
On the other hand, Helen Gurley Brown who invented the concept of
‘having it all’ believed that women should want more for themselves and
not be stuck between having a family and becoming successful in their
work lives (Hughes, 2012)
METHODOLOGY: SAUNDERS
ONION
• My methodology for this research can be analysed by using Saunders et al (2007)
research onion as it’s different layers provide a focus for each stage of my research.
• For example, my research philosophy is interpretivism as a work-life balance can
be a social construct and I want to take a natural approach in order to gain
women’s personal experiences through semi-structured interviews
• My research will be inductive as I will develop a theory as well as identify patterns
after collecting the data from the semi-structured interviews
• My methodological choice is monomethod qualitative as it will help me to reach
my objectives (Melnikovas, 2018)
• By carrying out a narrative enquiry I will be documenting women’s experiences and
their perspective of obtaining a work-life balance and ‘having it all’
• My time horizon will be cross-sectional as it will be a short-term study where I will
be collecting data from women and observing the variables
• The data will be collected and analysed through thematic analysis which will allow
me to recognise any patterns or themes within the data (Clarke and Braun, 2017)
(Melnikovas, 2018)
Sampling
• The type of sampling I intend to use is purposive
sampling, this is because I only need to interview a
small amount of women of differing ages for my
research and I know what characteristics I am
looking for which makes it the most effective form
of sampling (Rai and Thapa, 2015).
Rationale
METHODOLOGY
PA RT 2 &
R AT I O N A L E
- My rationale for this research is that I want to
discover how women cope with managing their
work life and personal life and if age has an effect on
achieving a balance. I feel it is important to compare
the levels of burnout in women with a family and
women without children.
- When relating to the literature, I would like to prove
the validity of theories such as the spillover theory
in women’s work-life balance as well as significant
events such as the pandemic and its impact.
- I also think it is important to acknowledge the
concept of ‘having it all’ after reviewing the literature
as some believe it is a myth whereas others believe
it is absolutely possible.
RESEARCH ETHICS
Ethics are an essential part of
conducting research. As I am carrying
out semi-structured interviews, I have
acknowledged certain ethical issues that
could arise and how to solve them.
After analysing Lincoln and Guba (1989)
I am ensuring I consider the following
ethical standards.
Interviewees privacy and
confidentiality will also be protected
as I will not share any records, which
aligns with data protection as all data
will be stored on a one drive.
For example, I will require informed
consent before interviewing as
participants may not be able to partake
in an interview with an informed
decision if they are unaware of my
purpose. I believe this is very important
as it is a personal topic.
The purpose of ethics is to remain
integral and and morally correct within
my research so I can provide the best
research that I can (Gregory, 2003)
ISSUES OF TRUSTWORTHINESS
• Lincoln and Guba (1985) outline the important of trustworthiness when conducting qualitative
research. I Intend to produce a research study that readers will have confidence in when
interpreting what I have produced. The different aspects of trustworthiness I am considering are:
• Credibility: this is based on how my findings align with reality, by triangulating with different ages of
women I hope to recognise a pattern in the data I collect
• Dependability: My research process will be audited so that it is clearly documented which will in
hand make it easier to trace so readers can understand the research process I undertook, ensuring
the validity of my qualitative data
• Confirmability: I will demonstrate a connection between the interpretations I made and the data I
collected by thoroughly checking my data as well as remaining neutral when conducting my
interviews by not asking leading questions, and paying attention to my tone of voice
• Transferability: It is also worth noting that my findings will apply to other contexts by using thick
description involving the details of my participants and methods
I have learnt transferable skills throughout this module that I
believe will help me with my career plan, however I have also
highlighted skills that I could improve on:
-
Time management is a vital skill that is needed when
establishing a career and it is something I have felt I
could always improve as I have a bad habit of leaving
things too late and procrastinating, by using this module
to learn to manage my time better I can implement this
skill when I am on a career path.
-
This also leads to my ability to focus as this is also a skill I
feel could be more efficient at, as when I am completing
an assignment or reading I can become easily distracted
from the task at hand. Therefore, I can use this module
to improve my focus and apply this in my future career.
-
Thinking critically is also a skill that this module has
aided me with so far, by analysing and interpreting
articles to find the best literature I can and also applying
this to my own writing to improve its quality. When I
establish the career I would like this will help me to
solve problems and be a candidate that employers are
looking to hire
-
As I am currently unsure on the career I want to follow
after I finish university I believe these are all key skills
regardless of my future and they will assist me in
obtaining my future goals.
SKILLS GAPS & CAREER PLAN
CONCLUSION
This presentation has displayed and placed a direction onto how I am going to
carry out my research and complete my dissertation. The literature review
highlighted the areas of study I think are important for establishing the struggles
of women’s work-life balance.
The methodology shows the course my research will take with the help of
Saunders onion.
I also carefully considered any ethical issues I might face when conducting my
research and how to overcome them.
Lincoln and Guba’s trustworthiness issues allowed me to evaluate how I will
collect and record the qualitative data I will receive from the semi-structured
interviews
Finally, I have acknowledged which skills I have learnt so far throughout this
module and selected skills that I need to improve which will aid me in my career
plan.
Thankyou for listening to my presentation!
REFERENCE LIST
• Clarke, V. and Braun, V. (2017). Thematic Analysis. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 12(3), pp.297–
298. doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2016.1262613.
• Gregory, I., 2003. Ethics in research. A&C Black.
• Hewlett, S.A., 2002. Executive women and the myth of having it all. Harvard business review, 80(4),
pp.66-73.
• Hughes, S. (2012). Helen Gurley Brown: how to have it all. The Guardian. [online] 14 Aug. Available
at: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2012/aug/14/helen-gurley-brown-cosmopolitan-sex
[Accessed 15 Nov. 2023].
•
Kumar, K. and Chaturvedi, R., 2017. Work-life balance and job satisfaction from the perspective of
multiple job holding women: Comparative analysis of generational cohorts. International Journal of
Advances in Management and Economics, 6(5), pp.32-40.
• Lakshmi, N. and Prasanth, V.S., 2018. A study on work-life balance in working women. International
Journal of Advanced Multidisciplinary Scientific Research, 1(7), pp.76-88.
• Lincoln, Y.S. and Guba, E.G. (1985). Naturalistic Inquiry. London: Sage Publications.
• Lockwood, N.R., 2003. Work/life balance. Challenges and Solutions, SHRM Research, USA, 2(10).
• Melnikovas, A. 2018. Towards an Explicit Research Methodology: Adapting Research Onion Model for
Future Studies, Journal of Future Studies [online] Available at: doi:10.6531/JFS.201812_23(2).0003.
• Saunders, M., Lewis, P.H.I.L.I.P. and Thornhill, A.D.R.I.A.N., 2007. Research methods. Business
Students 4th edition Pearson Education Limited, England, 6(3), pp.1-268.
• Vyas, L., 2022. “New normal” at work in a post-COVID world: work–life balance and labor
markets. Policy and Society, 41(1), pp.155-167.
•
Zedeck, S. and Mosier, K.L., 1990. Work in the family and employing organization. American
psychologist, 45(2), p.240.