Work Life Balance

ABSTRACT

In organizations and on the home front, the challenge of work/life balance is rising to the top of many employers' and employees' consciousness. In today's fast-paced society, human resource professionals seek options to positively impact the bottom line of their companies, improve employee morale, retain employees with valuable company knowledge, and keep pace with workplace trends.

Irrespective of the gender, striking a balance between work and life is a delicate task, more so because of the social and cultural reasons. The term work life balance is applicable to all men and women alike but is more crucial for women all over the world. Being a woman means to look after her family and run the house as well. Women and work life balance have been together since time immemorial.

This article highlights the issues connected with work life balance of career women and the factors that determine work life balance for them.

INTRODUCTION

Work-life balance is about people having a measure of control over when, where and how they work. It is achieved when an individual's right to a fulfilled life inside and outside paid work. It is accepted and respected as the norm, to the mutual benefit of the individual, business and society.

Women who want to pursue professional careers in the real world struggle with attitudes about work/life balances and the role of women in the workplace. Asking for time off, attempting to set boundaries, and working on the cultivation of outside relationships are often frowned upon among women who want to be taken professionally and seriously. While single-minded women willing to sacrifice their lives to their careers receive praise. This is always reflected in television, where women seem to be forced to choose between careers and families rather than having both.

As the number of dual career couples is gradually increasing and the support of the joint family is going away men and women employees are struggling hard to mange their professional and personal lives. Women professionals find it difficult to fulfill demands of the family and society and at the same time do justice to the demands of their profession at workplace. This issue becomes even more pertinent in a country like China where most of the familial roles are gendered. Research suggests that professionals are experiencing a time squeeze, and demographics suggest that this is not going to go away.

The reasons that make women and work life balance a difficult combination are:

 The society puts such a huge burden on women by expecting them to be a ''super woman" and be able to do everything. Women are supposed to perform all their duties and still do not get the amount of rest that a man gets.

 Some women feel that their work places become a battleground once they have children. Being a father does not take a man's credibility but being a mother makes a woman lose her credulity. She is considered less professional.

HISTORY

For two thousand years ago in ancient China women, they always stay at home and take care of the husband and bring up the children. They have no career or in other words, the family is their whole world. Throughout ancient Chinese women were in a position of servitude from birth till death. They were actually considered a man's private property. According to Marxist economic foundation determines superstructures, while in feudal China, women are not independent in economy. Men have extensive social activities while women are trapped in their homes.

In ancient China, women are chained by 'the three obedience and the four virtues'. They have no independent thoughts to be a career woman.

 Three obedience:

➢ Obey her father before marriage;

➢ Obey her husband after married;

➢ Obey her sons if widowhood.

 Four virtues:

➢ Morality

➢ Proper speech

➢ Modest manner

➢ Diligent work

Social Status Of Modern Women

In modern times, women's social status has changed a lot. They are no longer the private property of men and they are not satisfied only to be housewives. Today, we can see many successful women in all fields. They become independent, confident, and creative. They have their own thoughts and the conscious of taking part in social activities has wakened up.

The career women are continually challenged by the demands of full-time work and when the day is done at the office, they carry more of the responsibilities and commitments to home. The majority of women are working 40-45 hours per week and 53% are struggling to achieve work/life balance. Women reported that their lives were a juggling act that included multiple responsibilities at work, heavy meeting schedules, business trips, on top of managing the daily routine responsibilities of life and home.

Work-Life Balance

Learning to create personal work life balance is an essential skill in today's hectic environment. High expectations, new technology and an increasingly competitive work environment have eroded any boundaries between work and home life that might have existed in the past. If you feel your personal work/life scale is unbalanced it may be that you are focusing most of your time and energy into one area of your life.

The biggest challenge for career women is how to balance the demands of family, friends, and career. While we want happy and fulfilling lives outside of work, we have to make personal sacrifices in order to achieve our career aspirations. How do we balance those sacrifices so we don't greatly interfere with our personal goals? How do we fit roles such as wife, mother, and friend into an already hectic schedule?

Success with work life balance allows us to manage stress and fatigue,