An Exploratory Study on the Work Life Balance of Female Teaching Professionals in Colleges in Punjab

Work Life Balance is often defined as an acceptable level of meeting competing demands on time and energy from multiple sources in a person's life. Due to changing socio-cultural environment, education and work opportunities, female employment is constantly on the rise and teaching is an area where majority of employees are female. Working women's dual roles have often led to Work Life Conflict resulting in physical and emotional stress. Most families are unable to afford or are unwilling to pay for childcare i.e. nanny/babysitters, eldercare, or housekeeping services. On the contrary, many women are expected to do a full time job as well as take care of all household responsibilities, chores, dependent care, etc. because of the stereotypical role of women as a caretaker. Women are very burdened and occupied due to multiplicity of roles. Some of the most common roles of a woman include those of spouse, mother, caregiver, and paid worker. The major objective of this study was to understand the various WLB issues faced by female faculty in Private and Public Colleges in Punjab and the various factors affecting WLB. To achieve this, data was collected by random sampling method and questionnaire consisting of 39 statements and five factors. The data was analyzed using various statistical procedures like ANOVA, regression, factor analysis, t-test, etc. The major factors influencing WLB were found to be Role Overload, Time Management, Dependent Care, Social Support and Health. Majority of female faculty had problems in maintaining a healthy WLB. It was also concluded that there were significant differences in WLB on the basis of demographics and marital status. Recommendations and coping strategies were discussed to overcome Work Life Conflict.