Introduction
Balancing work and family roles has become a key personal and family issue for many societies. There are many facets in working mother’s lives that subject to stress. They deal with home and family issues as well as job stress on a daily basis. Imbalance between work and family life arises due to a number of factors. Organization also may create work place culture and climates that reflect concern for employees’ lives outside of work. It is important for organizations to periodically review current work processes and practices to determine which ones lead to work in efficiencies and employee stress. Traditionally, the major responsibility of women has been perceived to be the maintenance of the family including home and childcare and breadwinning was the main responsibility of men. However, with more women entering the workforce and pursuing careers, these clearly defined gender roles were forced to change. Most women do not have responsibility only in one domain anymore; they have to balance the competing demands of both work and family domains Family stress theory can be applied to critical work events that negatively affect the family, such as job loss and to chronic work stressors such as role overload, instability, job satisfaction, inadequate child care and shift work. “Families’ and ‘employment’ are interred – related and socially constructed. This model viewed the family as an institution that fulfilled universal prerequisites for the survival of human societies. the smooth functioning of societies depends on the proper articulation of the interdependent parts. The impact of multiple roles at work and in family may be bond to the culture in different countries. Social role in Thanjavur society still remain very traditional, so in most cases, it may be more difficult today than ever for a women to manage a balance commitment to work and family.
Work family conflict affects employee performance at work place and also their personal life. Women have increasingly entered in the workforce and increased their aspirations for careers, and financial independence. Job satisfaction of workers has captures the attention of social- researchers. Little attention has been given to work – family conflict as one of the many causes for dissatisfaction of employees with their jobs. Working couples find it particularly difficult to meet commitments to family, friends and community. In such scenario it is easy for work to invade the personal life making both work life and personal life go out of the balance. Thus finding work life balance in today's past paced world become a Herculean task and presents a major challenge to both employers and employees.
The role of working women has changed throughout the world due to economic conditions and social demands. This has resulted in a scenario in which working women have tremendous pressure to develop a career as robust as their male counterparts while sustaining active engagement in personal life. The ever-increasing work pressure in taking a toll on the working women leaving them with less time for themselves. The increasing responsibilities on the personal front with the technological blessings like advanced mobile phones, notepads, etc. that keeps work life integrated with personal life also creates stress on personal and professional fronts in this knowledge age. This affects the person's physical, emotional and social well – being. Thus, achieving work life balance is a necessity for working women to have a good quality of life.
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
In most of the Asian countries, due to the male societies women are facing problems in various fields of life. there is no importance of their decision making and their innovative and creative ideas, because they are considered weak. They are not allowed to work by their conservative mindset families. Society also looks working women negatively. they do not get the respect, they deserve. Gender discrimination is the major reason for all the problems which women are facing. Several employers choose women for definite jobs, due to women are estimated to be obedient, passive. the aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between family conflict and job satisfaction, employee job performance and psychological well being.
Major parts of Indian women are allowed to work; still they face some problems in workplace and family. The problems faced in their work place are Indian working women do not get the respect from their male colleagues in the workplace. In case of married working women is they are not allowed by family members to go for business tour. Gender discrimination is another problem faced by women in case of pay. In some companies women employees are paid less salary than men. Even women professional are in high position in their office, they have to return from office in correct time, cook, clean and look after their family affairs. This makes them more stress leads to some health problems. Another most difficult problem faced by working women who have small children is they forced to leave their child in daycare or in hands maid on whom they have little faith. this creates more tension in them and less concentrate on their work. Although working women hired to do their household work they have to give more pay. Working women are not able to attend family function due to lack of leave and also not able to give proper care to family members.
OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
• To identify the problems faced by women teachers at school and home
• Find out the challenges women face in the performance of their jobs
• To study the various factors which affect work – life balance
• To find out the level of job satisfaction
• To know the stress level of working female at work place.
The research adopted the method of Descriptive .
DATA COLLECTION
In this study the researcher has collected both primary and secondary data.
PRIMARY DATA
Primary data can be collected from the scrap buyers through questionnaire in interview schedule.
SECONDARY DATA
The researcher collected the secondary data from various text books, magazines, journals, internet and periodicals.
SAMPLING TECHNIQUES AND SAMPLE SIZE
This study was conducted on 100 women teachers of private schools in Thanjavur. The convenience sampling method was used in this study.
SCOPE OF THE STUDY
This study is undertaken in various schools in Thanjavur, the purpose is to gather more details about work and family balances by women school teachers. This research helps the institution to formulate the future pans and policies for women school teachers. the scope of work life balance is wide. It gets into explanation the important workings of our life. Life brings the value and balance we want for. To compose one's life happy, it is very important in today's world to uphold a right balance between work and family. Giving appropriat and timely concentration to every can generate a sense of satisfaction in oneself. Focusing on the components, are not hard to execute. There are many health related problems which come up due to not having right work life balance in one's life. So, it is the want to generate such conditions which help each person to retain work life balance. At work, one can generate one 'own best work life balance by making sure you not only reach but as well reproduce the enjoyment of the job enjoyment of the job, and the enjoyment of life, every day. If nobody cuffs our back, we should cuff our own back and help others to do the same. With enhanced education and employment opportunities today, most homes have working couples because of requirements and the want to compliment incomes. Work life balance has a wide scope. To say, a few are as follows:
• It facilitates creating suitable balance between work & life
• It helps in growing productivity of employees
• It is a stress management tools
• It helps in prioritizing the responsibility
• The quality of work increases with right work life balance
• It outcomes in work satisfaction
• Successful work life balance decreases the side effects on health
• To examine social problems of formally employed women in specified and above stated departments in focus area
• To ascertain behaviour of family members and social circle of formally employed women towards their job in focus area
• Working women challenges that they face in balancing professional life and personal life
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
Ahmad etal 2014 Explained that there are many factors that affect the teacher job performance such as attitude, aptitude, subject mastery, teaching methodology, personal characteristics, the class room setting, general mental ability, personality, relations with students, preparation and planning, effectiveness in presenting, subject matters, relations with other staffs, self improvement, relations with parents and community, self confidence, intelligence, teaching techniques, interaction with students, teaching competence demonstrated. Motivational skills , fairness in grading and teacher's attitude toward the students, these factors described were selected by McDonald, Swartz, Ferris, Jahangir and Riaz respectively.
Dr.Kamini.B . Dashora in their paper "PROBLEMS FACED BY WORKING WOMEN IN INDIA" published in International Journal of Advanced Research in Management and Social Sciences (2013) states that a gender bias creates lot of hurdles while remunerating the women at work place. There is an old belief that women are less capable and less efficient than men and hence deserve unequal salaries and wages for the same job.
AREA PROFILE
Thanjavur district has occupied an important place in agricultureal secto due to its deltaic alluvial soil blessed by river ‘Mother Cauvery’ and her numerous branches which serves as main source of irrigation. Agriculture forms the mainstay of 70% workers who inhabit in the district. The district also plays a key role in Tamil Nadu by producing about one – fourth of the total output of rice in the state and is rightly called the ‘Granary of South India’.
DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION
Table – 1
Distribution of respondents by their ability to balance work life
S.No Opinion Yes No
1 Ability to balance their work life 73 27
2 Good career prospects 58 48
Total 100 100
• Majority (73%) of the respondents are able to balance their work life
• 58% of the respondents have good career prospects in the institution
Table – 2
DISTRIBUTION OF THE RESPONDENTS BASED ON STRESS MANAGEMENT
S.No Stress Management No. of respondents Percentage
1
2
3 Yoga
Meditation
Entertainment 35
25
40 35
25
40
Total 100 100
• 35% of the respondents manage stress through yoga
Table – 3
DISTRIBUTION OF THE RESPONDENTS BASED ON STRESS MANAGEMENT
S.No Hindrance No. of respondents Percentage
1
2
3
4
5 Technology such as laptops / cell phones
Frequently traveling away from home
Negative attitude of peers and colleagues at work place
Negative attitude of superiors
Negative attitude of family members 50
27
3
10
10 50
27
3
10
10
Total 100 100
• Half (50%) of the respondents opine technology such as laptops/cell phones, hinder their balance between work and family.
Table -4
OPINION BASED ON PROBLEMS FACED BY WORKING WOMEN AT THE WORK PLACE
S.No Most important problem No. of respondents Percentage
1
2
3 Depression
Mental pressure
Gender discrimination 52
42
06 52
42
06
Total 100 100
• 52% of the respondents are depressed
Table -5
OPINION BASED ON FACTORS THAT HELP TO ACHIEVE WORK – LIFE BALANCE
S. No Balance No. of respondents Percentage
1
2
3 Efficient time management at school
Helpful supervisor & subordinates
Help and co-operation from spouse & family members 52
42
06 52
42
06
Total 100 100
• Less than half (43%) of the respondents opined that efficient time management at school will help to achieve work life balance.
SUGGESTIONS
Work family balance is a broad concept including proper prioritizing between professional life which includes career, challenges, pressure, achievement and ambition on one hand and private life which include pressure, leisure, family and spiritual development.
• Specific counseling programmes on work life balance can be conducted to balance the family and work challenges
• Facilitates for child care, financial planning services for employees who need them
• Well- designed flexible working hours, other leaves of absence policies such as educational leaves, community service leaves, self – funded leaves are sabbaticals
• An ideal work culture can be created to achieve work life balance.
• Family welfare programmes and family counseling programmes can be conducted.
• "Employees social gathering" programmes will be the better option to reduce the mental pressure in the work place.
• Regular exercises, meditation and other soft skill practices can improve the emotional balance of the employees
• Reward and recognition system should be fair and objectively to be adapted to each and every employee in the organization.
• Employers can create awareness about the impact of work life balance at employees personal and organization life to bridge the gap between the too.
CONCLUSION
The purpose of this study was to discover how women teachers impact on family happiness and the challenges faced by them in balancing their roles between family and job responsibility. The study found that employment of women in economic activity has several beneficial impacts of improving the economic condition of the family. The results also indicated that in low income earning families in co-operation between husband and wife, especially, on financial matters is very important marinating the overall development of the family. Despite women teacher's significant role towards the overall development of the family, the majority of women teachers encounted a number of difficulty in balancing their role between family and job responsibility especially when they need to work more than the normal working time. Given the importance and demands of women's participation in the teaching profession, the study suggest the implication of family friendly policy and its practice that supports the involvement of the teaching profession as well as the overall development of community. The study reveals that both family and job of female teachers of Thanjavur are being affected due to work – life balance situation. Indeed, women in the work place can be blessing only when both family as well as institution will receive proper services from them and they will be able to contribute to both family as well as organization only when the organization will ensure flexible working hours
(roistered days off and family friendly starting and finishing times), transport facility, residential facility, child care center, flexible work arrangement/ job sharing, reduced working hours and work load and child schooling for the female teachers. Work – life balance is a very important factor which influences the quality of our life.