Exploring the work–life challenges and dilemmas faced by managers and professionals who live alone

Krystal Wilkinson, Jennifer Tomlinson and Jean Gardiner
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Krystal Wilkinson: Manchester Metropolitan University, UK
Jennifer Tomlinson: University of Leeds, UK
Jean Gardiner: University of Leeds, UK

Work, Employment & Society, 2017, vol. 31, issue 4, 640-656

Abstract: This article aims to question the dominant understanding of work–life balance or conflict as primarily a ‘work–family’ issue. It does this by exploring the experiences of managers and professionals who live alone and do not have children – a group of employees traditionally overlooked in work–life policy and research but, significantly, a group on the rise within the working age population. Semi-structured interviews with 36 solo-living managers and professionals were carried out in the UK, spanning a range of occupations. In addition to previously identified work–life issues, four themes emerged that were pressing for and specific to solo-living managers and professionals. These are articulated here as challenges and dilemmas relating to: assumptions about work and non-work time; the legitimacy of their work–life balance; lack of support connected to financial and emotional well-being; and work-based vulnerabilities.

Keywords: managers; professionals; solo-living; work–life balance; work–life conflict (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:woemps:v:31:y:2017:i:4:p:640-656

DOI: 10.1177/0950017016677942

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