WORK LIFE BALANCE – STRATEGIES TO FIND EQUILIBRIUM

In the contemporary times when a considerable portion of the female population is

working, work-life balance has emerged as a serious concern. Women entrepreneurs find it
challenging to strike a balance between their personal and professional lives and manage both the
responsibilities effectively. Women are burdened and conflicted between work and family
responsibilities. For a businesswoman life is a juggling act that includes multiple responsibilities
at work, heavy meeting schedules, business trips, on top of managing the daily routine
responsibilities of life and home. Successfully achieving work/life balance will ultimately create
a more satisfied workforce that contributes to productivity and success of the nation.

The paper aims at bringing out the success strategies to strike equilibrium between the work and
life of women entrepreneurs. Success in business, as in life, takes a well thought-out strategy.
Entrepreneurial success involves an ongoing personal and professional commitment to
excellence. A large proportion of women say they can’t achieve a work life balance due to stress
in business. Successful women in business learn how to empower themselves with the
professional and personal skills that keep them going forward and balance their work and lives

Thahirunissa A M.Com., M.Phil.

S.G. Lecturer, Department of Commerce,

J.B.A.S. College for Women, Ch-18

 WORK LIFE BALANCE – STRATEGIES TO FIND EQUILIBRIUM

Mrs. Thahirunissa A. M.Com., M.Phil.

S.G. Lecturer, Department of Commerce, J.B.A.S. College for Women (A.N.), Chennai

Introduction

India being a male dominated society, very few women are in the entrepreneurial field. The basic
problem of a woman entrepreneur is that she is a woman. It means her twin responsibility
towards her family.

Need And Importance Of The Study

A large proportion of women say they can’t achieve a work life balance due to stress in
business. Successful women in business learn how to empower themselves with the professional
and personal skills that keep them going forward and balance their work and lives. This paper
aims at bringing out the success strategies to strike equilibrium between the work and life of
women entrepreneurs.

Objectives Of The Study

 To understand the concept of work life balance

 To find the work/life problems faced by women entrepreneurs
 To suggest strategies to strike equilibrium between domestic life and work life

Limitations Of The Study

 This research is limited to only women entrepreneurs running micro business

 Views of family members of the women entrepreneurs and clientele are not considered in
this research work
Research Methodology

The sources of the data were primary as well as secondary. The primary data was collected by
means of a questionnaire. Part-I of the questionnaire was framed to obtain general information
about the women entrepreneurs. Part-II of the questionnaire contained work life problems of
women entrepreneurs. Micro women entrepreneurs who are members of sudar oli self help
group based at Attipattu Township in the district of Thiruvallur were chosen for this research.
The respondents were chosen on the basis of the size of business. Women doing business for
more than two years with an annual turnover exceeding 50,000 INR but not exceeding 80,000
INR were selected for the research. 98 questionnaires were collected from the respondents out of
which 90 questionnaires were taken into consideration for this research work. The secondary
data for this paper was collected through books, journals, dailies and websites. Simple random
sampling method is adopted to collect the primary data. The respondents were selected
systematically. The data collected were scrutinized, edited and tabulated.

Work Life Balance – The Concept

In the contemporary times when a considerable portion of the female population is

working, work-life balance has emerged as a serious concern. Women entrepreneurs find it
challenging to strike a balance between their personal and professional lives and manage both the
responsibilities effectively. The equilibrium between the amount of time and effort
somebody devotes to profession and that given to other aspects of life is known as work/life
balance. For a businesswoman life is a juggling act that includes multiple responsibilities at
work, heavy meeting schedules, business trips, on top of managing the daily routine
responsibilities of life and home. Successfully achieving work/life balance will ultimately create
a more satisfied workforce that contributes to productivity and success of the nation. Women are
burdened and conflicted between work and family responsibilities.

The data collected from the questionnaire is presented in a tabular form for. The questionnaire
was close ended with the options yes or no. The data is also expressed in terms of percentages for
analysis.

Table 1.1: Work/Life Problems of Women Entrepreneurs

 S.No. Questions Yes % No %

1 Are your business targets accomplished? 37 42 53 58

2 Is your family life peaceful? 62 68 28 32

3 Is your professional life stressful? 81 90 9 10

4 Do you feel deprived of managing skills as a 12 13 78 87

woman?

5 Is there gender discrimination in business? 68 76 22 24

6 Are you able to complete domestic work 15 17 75 83

daily?

7 Are you able to attend family functions and 27 30 63 70

ceremonies?

8 Do you frequently fall sick? 58 64 32 36

9 Do you allocate time for food, sleep and 90 100 0 0

exercise?

10 Do the family members help in running the 12 13 78 87

business?

11 Did you ever think of abandoning the 52 58 38 42

business?

12 Do you effectively manage family and 83 92 7 8

professional work time?

13 Did your school/college education help in 39 43 51 57

achieving balance

14 Will a training/workshop help you in 76 84 14 16

managing profession and family life?

Source: Questionnaire

Findings of The Study

Work-life balance has become some kind of a chestnut, and the more it figures in our talks, the
less we seem to have of it. From the above table it is clear that majority of the women
entrepreneurs find their professional life stressful and have not accomplished their business
targets. The table also high lights that women find it very difficult to effectively manage family
and professional work time. The research also reveals that majority of the women entrepreneurs
face certain health hazards and they do not pay proper attention to personal health. The study
unraveled a bitter truth that women entrepreneurs do not eat, sleep and exercise as required
which a major drawback to our economy. Majority of the business women feel that the education
system has not helped them in striking equilibrium between family and business life.

Suggestions

Ø Success stories of leading women entrepreneurs should be narrated through media to

these budding business women to manage time and as a means to provide motivation

Ø Self help groups should come forward to offer employee assistance to women
entrepreneurs who have infants and toddlers at home

Ø Government should take initiative to teach work/life management techniques by

conducting workshops and training programs for women self help groups

Ø Our education system should be modified to include work/life management

techniques for nascent women entrepreneurs

Ø Government should increase financial assistance and provide periodic free health
check ups to women entrepreneurs who fall sick due to work burden and stress

Ø Business women should allocate some time for relaxation and rejuvenation

Conclusion

Studies reveal that happy people make more money. An unhappy business owner is often not at
the top of her professional game. When she is in balance, her business prospers. The biggest
problem of women entrepreneurs is connected with family and society. Success in business, as in
life, takes a well thought-out strategy. Entrepreneurial success involves an ongoing personal and
professional commitment to excellence.
References

1. Anushuja tiwari, Entrepreneurship and economic development, chapter 14, page 102

2. Erica D. Chuck, Fundamental of work life balance, ‘Information line’, August 2004,
issue 0408

3. www.worklifebalance.com

4. www.indiatimes.com

5. www.womeninbusiness.about.com