Superwomen: The Work Life Imbalance

Abstract

Much has been written lately about work life balance. A brief literature review revealed that current work life balance literature focused on the negative effects of imbalance and strategies to overcome it. However, there was a silence in the literature about the impact of imbalance on women's families. Thus, the purpose of this research was to seek the views of three 'high powered' women in paid employment about the effects of their work life imbalance on their families. The research approach was qualitative and three women in long term heterosexual partnerships with children at home and employed as managers in tourism in Rotorua, were interviewed. The data analysis revealed two strong themes: "The negative effects are there but, I am in control and I have great support" and "The lifestyle is worth it." These selected findings are consistent with the literature in that the negative effects are evident in both my findings and in the literature. However, my findings add to the literature because, although the negative effects were identified by the respondents, they do not seem to be a problem. The literature does not acknowledge or discuss this interesting phenomenon. After suggestions for further research, the paper concludes that these women can offer us interesting insights into the work life balance discussion and the milieu within which they make those decisions.