CHAPTER-I

INTRODUCTION AND DESIGN OF THE STUDY

1.1 INTRODUCTION

Work-Life Balance has emerged as a hot topic in recent years– fuelled in

part by changing trends in women’s social roles. Work–Life Balance of women

employees has become an important subject since the time has changed from men

earning the family living, in today’s world where both men and women equally

share the responsibility of earning for the betterment of their family life. Hence it is

very necessary to know how the women balance very professional and domestic

life.

In India, it is taken for granted that economic activities are exclusively the

prerogative of males while domestic work, child bearing and rearing are the sole

occupations of women. Historically, women in India have not enjoyed a good

status in workplace settings whether in managerial or operative roles. Since times

immemorial, women have been burdened with work of all sorts throughout their

lives. From reproduction to all household chores and outside, their role as worker

is significant, unique and burdensome. Over the last decade, Indian society has

witnessed a surge in the participation of women in the workforce, especially in the

software industry. But they are discriminated and exploited all over. A balance

between work and life is supposed to exist when there is a proper functioning at

work place and at home with a minimal role conflict.

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 The IT Sector constitutes a large part of the Indian economy both in terms of

employment potential and its contribution to national income. The changing

economic conditions and social demands have changed the nature of work

throughout the world. The concept of Work-Life Balance is becoming more and

more relevant in an ever dynamic working environment. The growing number of

women in the Indian IT workforce has led to an increasing interest from academia

and practitioners in the topic of Work–Life balance, specifically of working

women in the IT industry. In the light of the increasing number of women in the IT

industry, there is a need to examine the phenomenon of Work–Life balance in

greater depth.

1.2 WORK-LIFE BALANCE

Work-Life Balance refers to the effective management of multiple

responsibilities at work, at home, and in the other aspects of life. It is an issue that

is important both to the organizations and to employees. Work-Life balance is a

concept that significantly affects the health and happiness of one’s life. The

expression "Work-Life Balance" was first used in the United Kingdom in the late

1970’s to describe the balance between an individual's work and personal life. In

the States, this phrase was first used in 1986.

Work-Life Balance refers to comfortable state of equilibrium achieved

between employee's primary priorities of their employment position and their

private lifestyle. Work-Life balance is about being able to maintain a balance

between work and personal responsibilities on all fronts:

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 • Work and Family

• Work and personal fulfillment

• Work, Social and Community responsibility

Work-Life balance is a broad concept including proper prioritizing between

career and ambition on one hand, compared with pleasure, leisure, family and

spiritual development on the other. Work-Life Balance is the absence of

unacceptable level of conflict between work and non-work demands. It is the

satisfaction and good functioning of work and at home with a nominal role

conflict.

There is no agreed definition of work-Life balance but it does appear that the

‘right’ balance for one person may differ from the next. Balance is achieved in

different ways for different people and has a different purpose too. Some people do

it to balance their caring responsibilities for children with work, while others want

more time to themselves, engaging in leisure activities. Work-Life balance, in its

broadest sense, is defined as a satisfactory level of involvement or ‘fit’ between the

multiple roles in a person’s life (Hudson, 2005).

1.3 IT SECTOR:

The Information Technology Industry of India dates back to 1967, when

the Tata Group in collaboration with Burroughs has set up the first software zone,

SEEPZ in Mumbai. In 1973 SEEPZ became the first software export zone which

saw 80% of the software export in the 1980’s. Since then, the IT sector of India has

grown by leaps and bounds carving a brand name in the IT and ITES (Information

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Technology Enabled Services) sector in the global scenario. The major hubs for the

IT export sector are Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata.

Bangalore has earned the sobriquet, ‘The Silicon Valley of India’ owing to the

maximum IT export (generating 77% of the net IT export revenue of India). The

IT- ITES sector can be broadly classified into two categories (i) Business Process

Outsourcing (BPO) (ii) Domestic and IT export. The growth in the BPO sector

under the supervision of the IT-ITES sector has been phenomenal. According to

NASSCOM, “The IT-BPO sector in India aggregated revenue of US$ 100 billion

in FY 2012, where export and domestic revenue stood at US$ 69.1 billion and US

$31.7 billion respectively”.

The industry is also an employment intensive sector. The estimated

employment generation in the FY 2012 was expected 230,000 thus providing

direct employment to 2.8 million and indirect employment 88.9 million people all

over the country. According to a report prepared by Gartner, the top five

outsourcing companies of India are TCS, Cognizant, Infosys, Wipro and HCL

Technologies.

1.4 NEED FOR THE STUDY

The diverse pressures on the modern woman have made for discussions on

various platforms, and the solution has always been one —Work-Life Balance.

Work-Life Balance has become a major issue in the world of work. While success

at both work and life is the most sought after goal for all, the need for achieving

equilibrium is equally significant. For many working women, the Work-Life

Balance is one of their life’s greatest challenges.

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 A successful work-life balance helps in the attainment of personal goals. It

helps in striking a balance between workplace, family and friends, community,

hobbies, sleep and sport/exercise. If an Organization integrates Work-Life balance,

it will be a good tool to retain the employees and increase their quality of life.

Hence, it has been found that Work-Life Balance is not only the source of care and

concern, but also that it was the major source of dissatisfaction for many Woman

employees.

A good Work-Life Balance is central to staff effectiveness, wellbeing and

satisfaction, which have direct impact on children’s learning and achievement.

Work-Life balance is an integral and important part of Corporate Social

Responsibility. Good employers need to recognize the part of their obligation to

their workers is to ensure that they are not working so hard to damage their lives

outside of work or lead to health problems. Hence, the present study of research is

more relevant in the present day context.

1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

Work-Life-Balance assumes greatest significance when the demands of

one’s work and the life aspects seem equally critical at the same point in time.

Many Women employees find this as a challenge after marriage or the birth of a

child. Both demands seem to be fair in their perspective and hence it’s a challenge

to balance at any time. It is widely recognized that employees who achieve a

Work–Life balance that suits them work more efficiently, are more committed to

their employers and are less likely to become ill as a result of stress. A failure to

address work–family conflicts has negative impacts not only on the employment
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opportunities and job quality, health and productivity of the workers concerned,

but also on their families.

The present study tries to portray the dilemmas of women professionals,

when they are confronted with ideas and expectations of the traditional society at

home and the demands of conforming to the modern code of conduct at the work

place. It further aims to make recommendations based on findings and develop a

working model for managing Work-Life Balance issue. The study’s findings will

help to identify the demographic, Organizational and Family related variables

related to Work-Life Balance. Thus, the study would help the industry and family

to understand the relationship between Demographic factors, Organizational

factors, Familial factors and Work-Life Balance.

1.6 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Work-Life Balance is important for Women employees in IT sector.

Work life imbalance can be caused by both work related factors and family related

factors which many employees experience difficulties juggling their work

responsibilities with their home responsibilities. It is believed that balancing a

successful career with a personal or family life can be challenging and create an

impact on the person’s contentment in their work and personal life’s roles. Work-

Life Balance is about effectively managing the juggling act between paid work and

all other activities that are important to people such as family community activities,

voluntary work, personal development and leisure and recreation. It is the

responsibility of organization and family members to provide Work-Life Balance

to women employees in IT sector.

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1.7 OBJECTIVES

The study entitled “A study on Work-Life Balance of Women

Employees with respect to IT sector in Chennai” has the following objectives:

1. To study the level of satisfaction with respect to Work-Life Balance of

women in IT sector

2. To study the Demographic factors and their impact on Work-Life Balance

of Women in IT sector.

3. To determine the Organisational factors and their impact on Work-Life

Balance of Women in IT sector.

4. To determine the Familial factors and their impact on Work-Life Balance

of Women in IT sector.

5. To suggest measures for balancing work and life of Women in IT sector

1.8 METHODOLOGY

For the present study, Chennai is selected. For the purpose of this

study, the respondents were chosen from top 5 Companies via TCS, Infosys,

Wipro, HCL and CTS. The distribution of the respondents in the top 5 IT

Companies are given in the following table.

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1.1 Table showing the population in top 5 IT companies in Chennai

Total no .of Women No. of

S. No Company Sample
Employees percentage women
1 TCS 85,000 31% 26,350 376
2 Infosys 30,000 35% 10,500 371
3 Wipro 35,000 28% 9,800 370
4 HCL 30,000 24.6% 7380 356
5 CTS 80,000 32% 25,600 378

Total 94080 1851

Source:http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/tough-times-for-infosys-employees-here-
and-abroad/article3443341.ece
http://www.financialexpress.com/news/wipro-tech-expands-chennai-operations/290976
http://www.dqindia.com/dataquest/feature/173729/tcs-infosys-wipro-indian-it-employers-women

1.9 RESEARCH DESIGN

The purpose of this research was to study the relationship between

demographic variables (age, gender and marital status); Organisational factors

(superior-subordinate relationship, Working Environment, Reward system, Work

load and safety) Familial factors (Husband support, childcare family support and

commitment); and satisfaction with Work-Life Balance. Thus, descriptive research

(survey) design was used to undertake the study.

Descriptive research is used to obtain information concerning the current

status of the phenomena to describe “What exists” with respect to variables or

conditions in a situation. There are three main types of descriptive methods:

observational methods, case-study methods and survey methods. The essence of

survey method can be explained as “questioning individuals on a topic or topics

and then describing their responses.”(Jackson, 2011, p.17).

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1.10 DATA COLLECTION

The reliability and validity of any research is based on the systematic

method of data collection and analysis. In the present study, both primary and

secondary data were used.

¾ Primary data

Primary data was collected from the respondents who are working in IT

sector in the study area. First-hand information was collected from 1851 sample

respondents living in Chennai. The data were collected with the help of a well-

structured questionnaire from the selected sample respondents. The questionnaire

has four sections; the first section relates to demographical profile of respondents,

the second part relates to the Organisational factors affecting Work-Life Balance,

the third part relates to Familial factors affecting Work-Life Balance and fourth

part relates to Satisfaction with respect to Work-Life Balance. The data has been

collected directly from Women and by mail. Sample respondents were requested to

give a free and frank response.

¾ Secondary data

Secondary data is the data which has been collected by someone else.

Secondary data has been collected from news papers, magazines, websites, general

discussion with Employees in various IT sector.

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1.11 SAMPLING DESIGN

Stratified Random sampling method is used to collect data. A method of

sampling that involves the division of a population into smaller groups known as

strata. In stratified random sampling, the strata are formed based on members'

shared attributes or characteristics. A random sample from each stratum is taken in

a number proportional to the stratum's size when compared to the population.A

structured questionnaire was given to 1851 respondents from TCS, Infosys, Wipro,

HCL and CTS in Chennai which consisted of both open ended and close ended

questions.

1.12 CONSTRUCTION OF QUESTIONNAIRE

The key aspect of the present research was identified through the

preliminary interviews [pilot study] with some selected IT Women employees. The

questionnaire so drafted was circulated among some research experts, HR

personnel and Research Scholars for a critical view with regards to wording, form,

sequence and the like, the questionnaire was re-drafted in light of their comments.

1.13 PRE-TEST

The questionnaire meant for the respondents was pre-tested with fifty IT

Women employees. After pre-testing, necessary modifications were made in the

questionnaire.

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1.14 TOOLS FOR DATA COLLECTION

The data was collected through a questionnaire and tabulated. The data has

been classified on the basis of age, educational qualification, occupation, monthly

income, gender, marital status, nature of family, no, of children, of the respondents.

Required analysis was done with the aid of Statistical Package for Social

Sciences 20.0 Version. SPSS is the one of the most widely used of statistical

software packages. It covers a broad range of statistical procedures that allows

summarizing data, determining whether the differences between groups are

statistical significant or not. SPSS also contains several tools for analyzing data,

including functions for recording data and computing new variable as well as

merging and aggregating data files. Factor Analysis, ANOVA, MANOVA,

Multiple Regression, Chi-square and Henry Garrett Ranking method are used for

the analysis purpose

¾ Factor Analysis: To identify Organisational and Familial factors affecting

Work-Life Balance.

¾ MANOVA: To find the significant difference across demographic factors

and Organisational, Familial factors.

¾ ANOVA: To find the significant difference across demographic factors and

satisfaction with Work-Life Balance.

¾ Chi-square: To find the association between demographic factors and Top

priority as a Woman.

¾ Multiple Regression: To find the impact of Organisational and Familial

factors on Work-Life Balance of Women employees in IT sector.

¾ Henry Garrett Ranking: To find the factors that helps to balance Work

and Life of Women.

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1. Factor Analysis:

Factor analysis combines variables to create a smaller set of factors.

Mathematically, a factor is a linear combination of variables. A factor is not

directly observable; it is inferred from the variables. The technique identifies

underlying structure among the variables, reducing the number of variables to a

more manageable set. Factor analysis groups variables according to their

correlation The factor loading can be defined as the correlations between the

factors and their underlying variables .Factor analysis is a statistical method that is

based on the correlation analysis of multivariables. The main application of factor

analytic techniques is

1. To reduce the number of variables.

2. To detect structure in the relationships between variables, that is to classify the

variables. Therefore, factor analysis is applied as a data reduction or structure

detection method. Factors are formed by grouping the variables that have

correlation with each other .The factors are extracted from the correlation matrix

based on the correlation coefficients of the variables. The factors are rotated in

order to maximize the relationship between the variables and some of the factors.

2. ANOVA

Analysis of variance (ANOVA) is a collection of statistical models used in

order to analyze the differences between group means and their associated

procedures (such as "variation" among and between groups), developed by R. A.

Fisher.
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3. MANOVA

Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) is simply an ANOVA with

several dependent variables.MANOVA is a generalized form of univariate analysis

of variance (ANOVA), although, unlike univariate ANOVA, it uses the variance-

covariance between variables in testing the statistical significance of the mean

differences.

Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) is a statistical test procedure

for comparing multivariate (population) means of several groups. As a multivariate

procedure, it is used when there are two or more dependent variables, although

statistical reports provide individual p-values for each dependent variable in order

to test for statistical significance.

4. Chi-Square

This test is known as Chi-Square Test (X2-test) of goodness of fit, and is

used to test whether the discrepancy between expected and observed values may be

attributed the chance (fluctuations of sampling) or whether the deviation is really

because of the inadequacy of the theory to fit the observed data.

In order to apply the Chi-square test either as a test of goodness of fit or as

a test to judge the significance of association between attributes, it is necessary that

the observed as well as theoretical or expected frequencies must be grouped in the

same way and the theoretical distribution must be adjusted to give the same total

frequency as we find in case of observed distribution. X2 is then calculated as

follows:
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X2 =™ (Oij-Eij)2/Eij

Where

Oij = observed frequency of the cell in ith row and jth column

Eij = expected frequency of the cell in ith row and jth column

5. Multiple Regression

Multiple Regression is an extension of simple linear regression. It is used

when we want to predict the value of a variable based on the value of two or more

other variables. The variable we want to predict is called the dependent variable (or

sometimes, the outcome, target or criterion variable).

6. Henry Garrett’s ranking technique

To find out the most significant factor which influences the respondent,

Garrett’s ranking technique was used. As per this method, respondents have been

asked to assign the rank for all factors and the outcomes of such ranking have been

converted into score value with the help of the following formula:

Percent position = 100 (Rij – 0.5)/Nj Where,

Rij = Rank given for the ith variable by jth respondents

Nj = Number of variable ranked by jth respondents

With the help of Garrett’s Table, the percent position estimated is converted into

scores. Then for each factor, the scores of each individual are added and then total

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value of scores and mean values of score is calculated. The factors having highest

mean value is considered to be the most important factor.

7. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM)

A distinct advantage of using SEM is that the hypothesized model can be

statistically tested to determine fit or lack of fit of the models to the data set (Hair,

et al. 2010). Furthermore, SEM analysis provides the ability to perform multiple

regressions simultaneously, giving path coefficients for the direct and indirect

effects of variables. The SEM approach is superior to standard regression where

only one criterion variable can be tested at a time (Kline, 2005; Schumacker &

Lomax, 2004) and can incorporate the use of multiple moderators and mediators if

required (Byrne, 2010; Kline, 2005)

1.15 PERIOD OF THE STUDY

The study was confined to a period of 4 years. Reviewing the relevant

literature and the conceptual framework took six months. Preparation of the

Questionnaire and conducting the pilot study consumed six months. The data

collection from the primary sources consumed a period of 1 year. Preparing the

master table and data analysis took another 1 year. The interpretation and the

presentation of the data in the form of the report covered six months. The last six

months were used for rough drafting and in making out the final form of the thesis.

1.16 SCOPE OF THE STUDY

The present study is an attempt to study the Work-Life Balance of Women

Employees in IT sector in Chennai. It involves understanding the basic concept of

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Work-Life Balance, satisfaction with respect to Work-Life Balance and factors

influencing Work-Life Balance. Further, it suggests Organisation and Family

members to help Women in balancing their Work and Life.

1.17 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

For the research work, data was collected and interpreted with utmost

reliability and consistency but due to prejudices of a few respondents, certain

limitations of the study are as follows:

1. The study depicts the present scenario in the selected IT sector in Chennai and

hence the result may not be applicable to another period of time.

2. The study is limited to 1851 respondents of the selected IT sector in Chennai.

3. Answer to the questionnaire depends upon the beliefs and prejudices of Women

Employees.

4. It is assumed that respondents are true and honest in expressing their views and

have filled the questionnaire honestly and without any bias.

5. The present study is restricted to information collected about the Work-Life

Balance of Women Employees with the help of questionnaire.

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1.18 CHAPTER SCHEME

The present study has been divided into five chapters.

The first chapter presents the “Introduction and Design of the study”.

The second chapter presents the “Review of Literature”.

The third chapter covers “An overview of Work-Life Balance of Women and IT

industry in Chennai”.

The fourth chapter presents the“Data Analysis and Interpretation”.

The fifth chapter presents the Summary of “Findings, Suggestions and

Conclusion”.

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