The impact of cultural context on the perception of work/ family balance by professional women in Singapore and Hong Kong

Abstract

‘Work/family balance’ has recently come to the fore in public policy debate and academic inquiry across the industrialized world. However, this issue has been relatively under-explored in the context of Asian business and society. This paper reports the results of a qualitative, exploratory investigation of the perceptions and experiences of predominantly professional women, aged 25—45 years living in Singapore and Hong Kong. Data from focus groups were used to explore how women in these countries perceive work/family balance and the role of family, government and other support structures in managing this aspect of their lives. This study confirms that cultural context is a significant factor in how women perceive and respond to the issue of work/family balance.

L’impact du contexte culturel sur la perception de l’équilibre travail/famille par des femmes exerçant des professions libérales à Singapour et Hong Kong.

Hwte Hwte Thein, Siobhan Austen, Janice Currie & Erica Lewin

L’équilibre “travail/famille” est depuis quelque temps au cœur du débat politique et de la recherche universitaire dans le monde industrialisé. Cependant, cette question n’a pas fait l’objet de beaucoup de recherche dans le contexte de la société et du monde des affaires asiatiques. Cet article rend compte des conclusions d’une enquête qualitative sur les perceptions et expériences de femmes d’affaires ou exerçant des professions libérales, âgées entre 24 et 45 ans, et vivant à Singapour ou à Hong Kong. Des données émanant de groupes de réflexion ont été utilisées afin d’explorer comment les femmes de ces pays perçoivent l’équilibre travail/famille, ainsi que le rôle de la famille, du gouvernement et autres structures de soutien afin de gérer cet aspect de leurs vies. Cette étude confirme que le contexte culturel est un facteur significatif de la façon dont les femmes perçoivent et répondent à cette question de l’équilibre travail/famille.

Keywords

Asian culture Confucianism coping strategy women in Asia work family balance

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