Wilkinson, K, Tomlinson, J orcid.org/0000-0002-1863-885X and Gardiner, J (2017) Exploring the work–life challenges and dilemmas faced by managers and professionals who live alone. Work, Employment and Society, 31 (4). pp. 640-656. ISSN 0950-0170
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.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | (c) 2017, The Author(s). This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 License (http://www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits non-commercial use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access page (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage). |
Keywords: | Work-life balance; work-life conflict; solo living; professionals; managers |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Business (Leeds) > Work and Employment Relation Division (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 06 Oct 2016 08:56 |
Last Modified: | 19 Jun 2020 15:32 |
Published Version: | https://doi.org/10.1177/0950017016677942 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | SAGE Publications |
Identification Number: | 10.1177/0950017016677942 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:105526 |