Role Demands and Work Life Balance among Women Lecturers in Sri Lankan State Universities

Abstract

The main purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between role demands of work, family and work life balance. Also, this study tried to explore the factors that influence the supportive work life balance of the women academic staff in university. In quantitative phase of the study, a questionnaire survey was used to gather data from 265 women lecturers in state universities of Sri Lanka. Twenty in -depth interviews were conducted with women lecturers in same universities as gathering qualitative data. Finding of structural equation modeling indeed indicate that the significant negative relationship between role demands and work life balance, it fills a gap in the literature by validating the associations between role demands and work life balance dimensions. The qualitative data were analyzed via thematic exploratory analysis, which suggest that supportive factors for work life balance, such as workplace flexibility, avoiding role interference, correct prioritization, good working environment and personal factors against the role demands, that will be useful to Sri Lankan women in the academic profession to avoid their imbalance of work and family life and it also sends an important message to individuals to encourage work and family satisfaction.