Juggling between two full-time jobs: Work-life balance experiences of working mothers in Kosovo and the United States
Faculty Advisor Name
Dr. Edward Brantmeier
Department
Department of Learning, Technology and Leadership Education
Description
The challenge of the work-life balance is rising to the top of many employers’ and employees’ consciousness. Managing these work and life roles and finding a balance between them is vital, particularly as it relates to working mothers. Working mothers perform numerous roles within their work and life worlds, which complicates their chances to reach a balance among roles successfully. Considering these overlapping roles and responsibilities, women’s careers after becoming mothers tend to stagnate, and they are more likely to leave their organizations and quit their careers (Hewlett & Luce, 2005; Stone 2007).
Therefore, this research study sought to explore working mothers’ work-life balance experiences. More concisely, it aimed to explore and delve deeper into the life context, work context, and sociocultural context of working mothers’ work-life balance experiences. By doing so, I was keen to provide HRD practitioners with a glance of first-hand information, which can be taken into consideration when designing and implementing interventions to meet working mothers’ needs and ease their challenges.
The leading research question and the sub-questions which guided the focus of this study and the interview questions are presented below:
The Leading Research Question:
▪ What are the work-life balance experiences of working mothers in Kosovo and the United States?
Sub-questions:
1. How does the life context impact the work-life balance of a working mother in Kosovo and the United States?
2. How does the work context impact the work-life balance of a working mother in Kosovo and the United States?
3. How does the sociocultural context impact the work-life balance of a working mother in Kosovo and the United States?
Because of my familiarity with Kosovo and the United States contexts, I chose to conduct this study with working mothers from both these countries. There were six working mothers interviewed in total, three in Kosovo and three in the US. In addition, the research followed a qualitative approach and applied the narrative inquiry.
The findings of this study showed that each of the contexts consisted of two major themes. The life context consisted of self-care and child-care themes, the work context consisted of the nature of the work and workplace support themes, and lastly, the sociocultural context consisted of gender norms and support systems themes. Most of these findings were strongly supported by the existing literature, and they have implications for the HRD literature and practices.
Juggling between two full-time jobs: Work-life balance experiences of working mothers in Kosovo and the United States
The challenge of the work-life balance is rising to the top of many employers’ and employees’ consciousness. Managing these work and life roles and finding a balance between them is vital, particularly as it relates to working mothers. Working mothers perform numerous roles within their work and life worlds, which complicates their chances to reach a balance among roles successfully. Considering these overlapping roles and responsibilities, women’s careers after becoming mothers tend to stagnate, and they are more likely to leave their organizations and quit their careers (Hewlett & Luce, 2005; Stone 2007).
Therefore, this research study sought to explore working mothers’ work-life balance experiences. More concisely, it aimed to explore and delve deeper into the life context, work context, and sociocultural context of working mothers’ work-life balance experiences. By doing so, I was keen to provide HRD practitioners with a glance of first-hand information, which can be taken into consideration when designing and implementing interventions to meet working mothers’ needs and ease their challenges.
The leading research question and the sub-questions which guided the focus of this study and the interview questions are presented below:
The Leading Research Question:
▪ What are the work-life balance experiences of working mothers in Kosovo and the United States?
Sub-questions:
1. How does the life context impact the work-life balance of a working mother in Kosovo and the United States?
2. How does the work context impact the work-life balance of a working mother in Kosovo and the United States?
3. How does the sociocultural context impact the work-life balance of a working mother in Kosovo and the United States?
Because of my familiarity with Kosovo and the United States contexts, I chose to conduct this study with working mothers from both these countries. There were six working mothers interviewed in total, three in Kosovo and three in the US. In addition, the research followed a qualitative approach and applied the narrative inquiry.
The findings of this study showed that each of the contexts consisted of two major themes. The life context consisted of self-care and child-care themes, the work context consisted of the nature of the work and workplace support themes, and lastly, the sociocultural context consisted of gender norms and support systems themes. Most of these findings were strongly supported by the existing literature, and they have implications for the HRD literature and practices.
