Managing a work-family balance is an essential task for modern people. Since individuals typically spend much time on work, some of them can have difficulties having families and taking care of their relatives. In this case, men and women need help thinking about what decisions they should make to achieve optimal outcomes. Some individuals decide to change their jobs to find more suitable conditions, while others decide to sacrifice their private lives to succeed professionally. It is worth admitting that this scenario is not equal for all genders because women suffer more significantly from this condition. Society requires systematic changes to ensure that males and females have equal opportunities to achieve successful results in the professional and private spheres.
To begin with, one should explain what issue is under consideration. According to Powell (2019), “The challenge for all individuals, whatever their family status may be, is to manage the interface between their work and family lives to achieve a sense of work-family balance” (p. 198). This quotation demonstrates that the private and professional life spheres are equally important to a person, which denotes that it is impossible to prefer one over the other. An optimal approach is to find an equilibrium in performing in the workplace and at home. However, not all people understand that this opportunity exists, while others do not want to utilize it.
In particular, sufficient evidence demonstrates that females primarily suffer from meeting the work-life balance. As Sandberg (2013) states, “Despite modern methods that can minimize the impact of biological imperatives, women still do the vast majority of child care” (p. 98). Various factors can be reasons for the presence of this state of affairs. Appropriate gender expectations and stereotypes represent the most significant contributing factors since society, the education system, and families promote particular role models from childhood. As a result, girls learn to be homekeepers, while boys will focus on breadwinning.
Representatives of different genders have various values that manifest themselves in their job-seeking and employment behaviors. Consequently, it is not surprising that these beliefs result in the fact that men and women are engaged in their families to different levels.
It is worth acknowledging that the state of affairs above is harmful to society and families. Scientific evidence demonstrates that parents’ failure to meet a work-life balance negatively impacts their children. For example, “when fathers provide even just routine child care, children have higher levels of educational and economic achievement and lower delinquency rates” (Sandberg, 2013, p. 113). Furthermore, this approach is beneficial because mothers receive assistance, and their psychological and physical well-being improves. This information is a good sign for men to start drawing more attention to their families. Furthermore, it is reasonable to create systemic interventions to popularize men’s more active involvement in family affairs.
In conclusion, it is impossible to state that a specific sphere of life is more significant than the other. Family and work are equally significant, and individuals are expected to balance them. Today, this task is more challenging for women because they are typically responsible for child care. Since men are mainly considered breadwinners, they often focus on the professional sphere. This state of affairs has negative consequences, especially for children. Scientific evidence demonstrates that positive outcomes arise when males deal with home affairs and child care. That is why it is necessary to take specific interventions to motivate men to devote more time and effort to their families.
References
Powell, G. N. (2019). Women and men in management (5th ed.). SAGE.
Sandberg, S. (2013). Lean in: Women, work, and the will to lead. Knopf.