UNDERSTANDING WORK-LIFE BALANCE, RESILIENCE AND EMOTIONAL ENDURANCE OF SINGLE WORKING MOTHERS IN THE WORKPLACE: A QUALITATIVE STUDY

Year 2021, Volume: 8 Issue: 1, 64 - 75, 30.03.2021

Arzu Girisken

https://doi.org/10.17261/Pressacademia.2021.1387

Abstract

Purpose- The concepts of work-life balance and resilience at work are increasing in popularity. However, the literature, unfortunately, lacks gender perspective and geographical diversification. This paper aims to fill in this gap in the literature and inspire further research on a gender perspective. A semi-structured survey was developed to evaluate life-work balance and resilience in single working mothers' workplace practices in Istanbul. The research was conducted with 32 single mothers working in the private sector. Results suggest that most single mothers feel exhausted and stretched between their work and children while they often seek a reprieve in religion to keep their spirits up.
Methodology- For this study, qualitative research was developed with 32 single working mothers in Istanbul, Turkey. Open-ended questions were asked to the 32 mothers in face-to-face interviews. All of the women who participated in this study work in private institutions with more than 200 employees. A semi-structured interview was developed with open-ended questions to evaluate work-life balance and resilience practices among single mothers based on The Maslach Burnout Inventory (Maslach & Jackson, 1981; Winwood et al., 2013; Wolfson & Mulqueen, 2016).
Findings- Results suggest that single mothers feel exhausted and stretched between their work and children. On the other hand, they develop authentic solutions to overcome their frustrations.
Conclusion- In Turkey, single working mothers feel a strong responsibility towards their children to stay resilient and limit their complaints. It’s been widely discussed in the existing literature that internal motivational factors fuel resilience. However, in Turkey, societal support acts as an external factor to make single working mothers more resilient, and the resilience they develop enhances their performance in the workplace.

Keywords

Women at work, single working mothers, managerial resilience, work-life balance

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