Motherhood and employment: values and practices. Perceptions of women professionals in hospitals in Sri Lanka

Thilakshi Kodagoda

International Journal of Management and Enterprise Development, 2012, vol. 12, issue 2, 158-171

Abstract: The increase in women's participation in the labour force is one of the major trends which push women to redefine themselves. This paper focuses on how professional women combine motherhood with paid work and how mothers understand this combination in terms of gendered identities and social norms. The core sample comprises five female doctors in the public health sector in Sri Lanka, along with significant family members and the District Medical Officer. This article demonstrates that working women's mothering is responsible for the formation of a gendered identity which varies according to the different socio-cultural and religious opportunities and constraints.

Keywords: motherhood; employment; values; practices; women health professionals; enterprise development; Sri Lanka; healthcare; female doctors; work-life balance; gender identities; social norms; public health; working women; mothers; socio-cultural constraints; religious constraints. (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2012
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ids:ijmede:v:12:y:2012:i:2:p:158-171

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