Work‐life integration: experiences of mid‐career professional working mothers

Abstract

Purpose-This paper aims to explore how mid-career professional mothers perceive themselves in relation to their work and family roles, how they experience these roles, how they merge their work, family and individual self, and what meaning they make of this integration. Design/methodology/approach-The study used in-depth qualitative interviews with 18 participants aged between 37 and 55 with at least one dependent child under the age of 18, in dual-earning/career households. Findings-The study reports that a complex relationship of work-related dynamics and personal factors shaped the meaning for these women amid competing priorities of work, family and individual lives. Organisation and coordination of multiple activities with support from various sources was fundamental to finding balance. A deep sense of motherhood was evident in that their children were their number one priority but career was of high importance as they sought stimulation, challenges, achievement and enrichment in their work. Now, in mid-career transition, the respondents seek more self-care time in an effort to find new meaning in the work, family and self equation. Research limitations/implications-The study raises important issues for the management of professional working mothers and the implications of the study for individuals and organisations are set out. Originality/value-This paper makes contributions to work-life integration and career theory. It provides one of the first empirical studies on work-life integration in Ireland using the construct of meaningful work and secondly builds on the kaleidoscope career model theory.

Career attitudes and subjective career success: tackling gender differences

“…Although Hall (2004) suggests that gender is not related to a person's career attitude, several researchers (Cabrera, 2009;Sullivan and Mainero, 2008;Shapiro et al, 2008) have found that women are increasingly embracing more non-traditional careers. In comparing the costs and benefits of pursuing a traditional career, many women, especially mothers, decide that the cost of advancing to a higher level within the organization is too high (Grady and McCarthy, 2008). As Cabrera (2009, p. 88) remarks:…”

The complexity of role balance: Support for the Model of Juggling Occupations

“…Habits of routine include decisions in relation to the number of hours dedicated to various roles (3,(40)(41)(42)(43), when and where occupations will take place (21,35,43,44), and establishing and maintaining boundaries (21,43). Integrating these strategies into habits of routines, through planning and time management, facilitates role balance (20,34). Finally, key strategies related to habits of style include focusing on one day at a time (33) and perceptions of time adequacy (42).…”

“…An alternative for many women is constraining their participation in a role, as a compromise between full participation and complete avoidance (20,22). The relative importance of occupations in maintaining health is also emphasized, including rest, exercise, self-care, and active engagement in important relationships (23,25,(29)(30)(31)(32)(33)(34).…”

‘It's Been a Search for What I Wanted to Do’: Mid-Life Reflections on Career Transitions and Lifelong Learning

“…Studies on gender recognise the gender differences in regards to working opportunities and careers, and are concerned with the question of how to comprise both family and wage labour and/or subsistence work (Grady & McCarthy, 2008) and overcome gender inequalities (Widmer & Ritschard, 2009). Across Europe women are in different structural positions in the labour market, determined by individual characteristics, family structure, and the particular arrangements between spouses as much as between employer and employee.…”

“…Careers are less and less predictable, which implies that the perspectives individuals develop towards work and a career are crucial and need to be taken into consideration for all career policy activities (Van der Heijde & Van der Heijden, 2006). Not enough is known about the ways in which work today becomes meaningful, which includes the different spheres of work (paid and unpaid), incorporates values, beliefs and purpose (a sense of self), and making choices about the amount of time spent in each sphere (a sense of balance) (Grady & McCarthy, 2008). It includes the ways in which learning takes place at the workplace or to what extent and in which ways learning is supported by the employer.…”