Work/Life Conflict

From Chapter 7 entitled Identity and Difference in Organizational Life in the sub section Organizing Difference in Organizations on page 203 the topic of work/life conflict is discussed. Here the authors define it as the “simultaneous influence of work on members’ lives away from work – at home, at leisure, and in families and communities – and the influence of personal life responsibilities and aspirations on members’ experiences at work.” The discussion focuses around women and how they are normally the ones who have to find this balance of life and work and normally have a hard time doing so. They work and then go home and work – the cycle seems to never end. My mom is a perfect example of this – she works 16 hour days and is also President of our neighborhood pool, while also being a mom and a wife. She never rests. I recently did an interview with her about what it means to her to be a woman and she said that women never get to relax and that my brother said to her when he was little “Mommy you work all the time,” because he never saw her sitting down and relaxing, she was always busy. I do feel that women do have to work harder than men in order to prove themselves in the workplace while also having to take on the domestic responsibilities. Luckily more and more men and stepping it up and helping their wives manage the home but that extra time can lead to more time spent at work which can run someone down. I sometimes find that I overwork myself between school and two jobs - I get pretty stressed out, especially when I have a bunch of things due, I have to be at work all day and I do not get home till after 9 – but hopefully this will help me better manage my time in the future when I have a family.