Work-life balance: A phenomenological study on how female principals balance their professional and personal lives
Abstract
The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore lived experiences of female principals and to examine how female principals balance professional and personal lives. A qualitative methodology provided a detailed and rich understanding of the experiences of women in the principalship from women’s perspectives. Five female principals were the focus of the study. The findings revealed that female principals experience work-life conflict because they are expected to fulfill family and work responsibilities. The research resulted in identifying the challenges, the support systems, and strategies utilized by female principals as a means of realizing work-life balance. A conclusion to be drawn from these findings is that female principals could not have managed the principalship if there were no support systems in place to balance their professional and personal lives. A lack of a formal or informal mentors resulted in female principals seeking out social support as a means of meeting the demands job of the principalship. Included in the findings were the resources and tools the female principals utilized in order to realize work-life balance. Finally, this research demonstrates the need for District support for female principals in the areas of administrative training on the nature of the job and challenges the universities to provide an intensive internship course that allows perspective leaders the opportunity to experience the principalship first hand.
Subject Area
Educational leadership|Womens studies|Educational administration|Individual & family studies
Recommended Citation
Garcia, Blanca Estela, "Work-life balance: A phenomenological study on how female principals balance their professional and personal lives" (2015). ETD Collection for University of Texas, El Paso. AAI3708541.
https://scholarworks.utep.edu/dissertations/AAI3708541