Work-family balance of female parliamentarians in Ghana

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present the challenges female parliamentarians in Ghana face in their attempt to balance their professions and families.

Design/methodology/approach

This is a qualitative study which explores the nature of strain female MP’s in Ghana encounter in their struggle to achieve a work-life balance.

Findings

It is concluded that most female parliamentarians in Ghana go through tough times in trying to juggle career with family life. The study revealed that the MPs adopt strategies such as prioritizing roles, limiting official duties at home and using social support to help them cope with the pressures of their roles. The organizational policies put in place to aid female employees to achieve a healthy work-life balance did not yield much result for the participants in this study.

Originality/value

The originality of this paper lies in it being the first study that qualitatively explores the complex challenges female parliamentarians face in their political careers and family lives in Ghana.

Citation

Markwei, U., Kubi, M., Quao, B. and Attiogbe, E.J. (2019), "Work-family balance of female parliamentarians in Ghana", Gender in Management, Vol. 34 No. 1, pp. 34-44. https://doi.org/10.1108/GM-02-2018-0016