Women in leadership roles have always had to grapple with the challenge of achieving a balance between their work and personal lives. This need has become even more pressing during times of crisis or change, such as the current pandemic. The difficulties that women have experienced during this period are likely to remain even after the lockdown ends. Therefore, it is essential to continue doing what has kept us balanced during these difficult times or to implement a plan to achieve balance, which will contribute to our productivity and overall health and wellbeing. A study found that one of the main factors that can negatively affect employees' work performance is the stress associated with work-life balance.
Before the pandemic, many women in the workforce felt like they were working two shifts: one at work and one at home. The analyses suggest that women leaders, who primarily integrate their roles, perceive the time-based Work-Family Conflict (WFC) differently than women leaders who primarily segregate their roles. When comparing the codified sources of social support and the composite confusion between work and family, the results indicate that there is evidence to suggest a difference between women in leadership positions who mainly use internal or external social support and the way in which they integrate or segregate their work and family roles. A longitudinal research project would be beneficial in understanding the effects of social support, confusion between work and family, and WFC on women in leadership positions. The results also show that women leaders have adapted a personal strategy for integrating roles that is adjusted to their personal preferences, dynamics, and situation. Additionally, women leaders who primarily use external sources of support tend to integrate their work and family functions more than those who primarily use internal sources of support. This research on work-life balance and women in leadership positions offers two main contributions to the literature.
Firstly, it adds to the debate on women's leadership education and work-life balance by examining sources of social support, confusion between work life and family, and WFC through the use of conservative non-parametric tests. Secondly, it highlights the importance of internal and external sources of support for women in leadership positions. The theory of limits, the theory of resource conservation (COR) and the resource model as a function of labor demand (JD-R) offer unique theoretical perspectives when analyzing the impact of work-life balance on women in leadership positions. A new report from McKinsey and Company and Lean In on the situation of women in the workplace confirms that exhaustion among women in US companies has worsened even more since last year. In order to ensure that female leaders in Eastern Missouri are able to maintain a healthy work-life balance during times of crisis or change, it is important for them to recognize their own needs and limitations. It is also important for them to identify sources of social support both internally within their organization as well as externally from family members or friends.
Additionally, they should strive to create a plan that allows them to integrate their roles while still maintaining a healthy balance between their professional and personal lives. By understanding their own needs and limitations, identifying sources of social support, and creating a plan for integrating roles while still maintaining a healthy balance between their professional and personal lives, female leaders in Eastern Missouri can ensure that they are able to handle work-life balance during times of crisis or change.
