Journal of Woman and Family Studies
Lived Experiences of Female School Principals of Work-life Balance
Document Type : Research/Original/Regular
Authors
1 Department of Educational Sciences, AzerbaijanShahid Madani University, Tabriz, Iran
2 Department of Educational Sciences, Azerbaijan Shahid Madani University, Tabriz, Iran
3 Department of Educational Sciences, Shahid Madani University of Azerbaijan, Tabriz, Iran
Abstract
This study is about and examines experiences of female school principals from the balance between work and life. The current research uses a qualitative approach with thematic analysis research method. Contributors are 120 female school principals of the city of Paveh whom, by purposeful criterion-oriented sampling method fifteen people of school female principals of Paveh city were selected and their experiences from the balance between work and life have been examined with semi-structured interviews. For the sake of validation, review method of results by participants, and to increasing trust in results, method of External audit technique has been used. Finally, a Colaizzi methods for eight themes and twenty categories has been extracted by analysis method with titles including: time management technique, management ability, commitment, good family conditions(education and appropriate growing and cognitive conditions of children, family conditions, selection and sincerity in family relationships and their understanding of vocation conditions), role lightening (gain experiences, organization, colleagues and help desk service’s cooperation, change in conditions of service), mental and spiritual health of job (appreciate and feeling the pleasure and peace of work and serving the people, cheerful spirit and vitality, psychological refinement), the importance of the monetary dimension, moderation at the level of your and others expectations (fit the expectations according to the conditions, creating fitness at the level of others expectations and convincing them about the conditions).
Highlights
Eight themes and twenty categories were obtained from interviews: (1) Time management technique (planning the time of activities, prioritizing doings, using order in doing things), (2) Management ability (preventing work-life interference, ability to consolidate works, appropriate scheduling of tasks: optimal use of off-time), (3) Commitment (having the psychological characteristics of self-sacrifice, commitment to responsibility), (4) Optimal family circumstances (education and proper developmental and cognitive conditions of children, family circumstances, selection and intimacy in family relationships and their understanding of job conditions) (5) Role lightening (gaining experience, assistance and cooperation of the workplace and coworkers and the service staff's help, the need to make changes in working conditions), (6) Mental health at work (appreciation and feeling of pleasure and peace from work and service to the people, happy and lively mood, catharsis) (7) Material dimension of work (importance of material dimension of work) (8) Moderation in one's expectations and others (adjusting expectations with the existing conditions, adjusting others' expectations and convincing them of the conditions).
Conclusion
Work-life balance is to maintain a balance between work and home responsibilities. These two areas have increasingly turned to conflicting areas requiring much more energy and time (Balaji, 2014). According to the research findings, it can be stated that the balance between work and life by female school principals is affected by different psychological, cultural, organizational, and economic factors. In general, the most influential factor in balancing work and life depends on family circumstances, followed by time management techniques, commitment, role lightning, program management, mental health, adjusting one's and other's expectations, and finally, the material dimension of work.Data analysis revealed that one of the ways to balance work and life is the time management technique. This theme prevents wasting time by creating work-life tasks planning (work planning, proper use of off-times, flexibility). It also promotes time management by prioritizing tasks based on how urgent they are, preventing interference, and reducing dead time in life. One aspect of prioritizing work is drafting assignments meaning that for tasks that require more time, it is best to do parts of them before starting. And another category is order in addressing life affairs (work and family) to coordinate family members with each other in preventing time conflict of individuals' plans. The theme of management ability consists of three categories: preventing work-life interference, management ability, and appropriate scheduling of tasks: optimal use of off-time. Sheikh et al. (2018) have also emphasized the use of effective strategies and creating clear boundaries between work and home demands in achieving balance and reducing work-family conflict. Commitment consists of two categories: commitment to responsibilities and having psychological characteristics of self-sacrifice for family and work. In the patience dimension, fulfilling work and life responsibilities is considered meaning one should show patience in performing work and life responsibilities; And organizational commitment leads to employee loyalty and better performance (Tayfun and Catir, 2016). Female school principals show self-sacrifice, patience, and commitment to work and family responsibilities. The theme of "optimal family circumstances" deals with life responsibilities in the environment of a coworker in the direction of proper balance. Jeyarathnam (2017) investigated the factors affecting the work-life balance of professional women and identified the family environment as one of the influential factors. All people need attention and appreciation for their efforts during their life. Gratitude increases the motivation for repetition, frequency, and continuity of good deeds and behaviors and gives a beautiful color and meaning to social life and human society (McCullough et al., 2002). The theme of "mental health" relates to the impact of motivational factors, Including appreciation of the work, a positive feeling about work, and peace of mind in life. Concerning the theme of the material dimension of the work, participants considered financial ability at some point in life to be a factor in balancing life. The theme of "moderation in one's and others' expectations" is another crucial factor in the work-life balance. According to the research findings, adjusting expectations creates a balance between the abilities, opportunities of the school principals, and available time.
Keywords
Main Subjects
Purpose
The present study investigates the female school principals' experiences of work-life balance.
Method
The present study is done with a qualitative approach using content analysis. Fifteen female school principals were interviewed using purposive criterion-based sampling until no new code was identified (data saturation). We tried to consider the maximum variation sampling. Semi-structured interviewing was used to collect data.The inclusion criteria for selecting participants are having five years of experience in school management, being married, having children, and the ability to balancing work and life (this criterion was determined by an interview with the principals themselves about the ability to balancing work and life). If the above conditions are not met, and the researcher determines that there is no balance between work and life, the interviewee will be excluded from the sample. We used the seven stages of the collecting data cycle to analyze the data. According to these seven stages, the requirements of each stage were met. (1) Selecting the participants or situation to be observed, (2) contact and communicate with the participant, (3) Purposive sampling from people or situations, (4) Collecting data, (5) Recording information and data, (6) Solving problems in the data collection process, and (7) Analyzing and ordering Colaizzi's seven-step method was used to analyze the data. Two strategies were also used to increase the validity of the research findings: (1) immersing in data and follow-up observations; (2) of participants' review. To ensure trustworthiness and credibility, we used external audit techniques, and the results also were compared with previous research.
Results
Eight themes and twenty categories were obtained from interviews: (1) Time management technique (planning the time of activities, prioritizing doings, using order in doing things), (2) Management ability (preventing work-life interference, ability to consolidate works, appropriate scheduling of tasks: optimal use of off-time), (3) Commitment (having the psychological characteristics of self-sacrifice, commitment to responsibility), (4) Optimal family circumstances (education and proper developmental and cognitive conditions of children, family circumstances, selection and intimacy in family relationships and their understanding of job conditions) (5) Role lightening (gaining experience, assistance and cooperation of the workplace and coworkers and the service staff's help, the need to make changes in working conditions), (6) Mental health at work (appreciation and feeling of pleasure and peace from work and service to the people, happy and lively mood, catharsis) (7) Material dimension of work (importance of material dimension of work) (8) Moderation in one's expectations and others (adjusting expectations with the existing conditions, adjusting others' expectations and convincing them of the conditions).
Conclusion
Work-life balance is to maintain a balance between work and home responsibilities. These two areas have increasingly turned to conflicting areas requiring much more energy and time (Balaji, 2014). According to the research findings, it can be stated that the balance between work and life by female school principals is affected by different psychological, cultural, organizational, and economic factors. In general, the most influential factor in balancing work and life depends on family circumstances, followed by time management techniques, commitment, role lightning, program management, mental health, adjusting one's and other's expectations, and finally, the material dimension of work.Data analysis revealed that one of the ways to balance work and life is the time management technique. This theme prevents wasting time by creating work-life tasks planning (work planning, proper use of off-times, flexibility). It also promotes time management by prioritizing tasks based on how urgent they are, preventing interference, and reducing dead time in life. One aspect of prioritizing work is drafting assignments meaning that for tasks that require more time, it is best to do parts of them before starting. And another category is order in addressing life affairs (work and family) to coordinate family members with each other in preventing time conflict of individuals' plans. The theme of management ability consists of three categories: preventing work-life interference, management ability, and appropriate scheduling of tasks: optimal use of off-time. Sheikh et al. (2018) have also emphasized the use of effective strategies and creating clear boundaries between work and home demands in achieving balance and reducing work-family conflict. Commitment consists of two categories: commitment to responsibilities and having psychological characteristics of self-sacrifice for family and work. In the patience dimension, fulfilling work and life responsibilities is considered meaning one should show patience in performing work and life responsibilities; And organizational commitment leads to employee loyalty and better performance (Tayfun and Catir, 2016). Female school principals show self-sacrifice, patience, and commitment to work and family responsibilities. The theme of "optimal family circumstances" deals with life responsibilities in the environment of a coworker in the direction of proper balance. Jeyarathnam (2017) investigated the factors affecting the work-life balance of professional women and identified the family environment as one of the influential factors. All people need attention and appreciation for their efforts during their life. Gratitude increases the motivation for repetition, frequency, and continuity of good deeds and behaviors and gives a beautiful color and meaning to social life and human society (McCullough et al., 2002). The theme of "mental health" relates to the impact of motivational factors, Including appreciation of the work, a positive feeling about work, and peace of mind in life. Concerning the theme of the material dimension of the work, participants considered financial ability at some point in life to be a factor in balancing life. The theme of "moderation in one's and others' expectations" is another crucial factor in the work-life balance. According to the research findings, adjusting expectations creates a balance between the abilities, opportunities of the school principals, and available time.
Ethical considerations
Compliance with ethical guidelines
This study has been done in compliance with the ethical codes of human research.
Funding: The present study was done without any financial support.
Authors' contribution: Behboud Yarigholi is the corresponding author and is in charge of methodology and data analysis. Sabah Abbasi is in charge of collecting data and reviewing the literature. Peyman Yarmohammadzadeh is in charge of consultation for methods.
Conflict of interest: This research does not directly or indirectly conflict with interests.
Acknowledgments: We would like to thanks all participants in the research.
)