The impacts of work-life-balance (WLB) challenges on social sustainability. The experience of Nigerian female medical doctors
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/ER-06-2017-0131 |
| Pages | 868-888 |
| Date | 06 August 2018 |
| Published date | 06 August 2018 |
| Author | Rahman Mushfiqur,Chima Mordi,Emeka Smart Oruh,Uzoechi Nwagbara,Tonbara Mordi,Itari Mabel Turner |
| Subject Matter | HR & organizational behaviour,Industrial/labour relations,Employment law |
The impacts of work-life-balance
(WLB) challenges on
social sustainability
The experience of Nigerian female
medical doctors
Rahman Mushfiqur, Chima Mordi and Emeka Smart Oruh
Brunel Business School, Brunel University London, Uxbridge, UK
Uzoechi Nwagbara
Business School, University of Sunderland, London, UK
Tonbara Mordi
Worcester Business School, University of Worcester, Worcester, UK, and
Itari Mabel Turner
Brunel Business School, Brunel University London, Uxbridge, UK
Abstract
Purpose –The purpose of this paper is to examine the implications of work-life-balance (WLB) challenges
for Nigerian female medical doctors. This study focusses on Nigeria, which its peculiar socio-cultural,
institutional and professional realities constitute WLB as well as social sustainability (SS) challenge for
female medical doctors.
Design/methodology/approach –Relying on qualitative, interpretivist approach and informed by
institutional theory, this study explores how Nigeria’s institutional environment and workplace realities
engender WLB challenges, which consequently impact SS for female doctors. In total, 43 semi-structured
interviews and focus group session involving eight participants were utilised for empirical analysis.
Findings –The study reveals that factors such as work pressure, cultural expectations, unsupportive
relationships, challenging work environment, gender role challenges, lack of voice/participation, and high
stress level moderate the ability of female medical doctors to manage WLB and SS. It also identifies that
socio-cultural and institutional demands on women show that these challenges, while common to female
physicians in other countries, are different and more intense in Nigeria because of their unique professional,
socio-cultural and institutional frameworks.
Research limitations/implications –The implications of the WLB and SS requires scholarship to deepen
as well as extend knowledge on contextual disparities in understanding these concepts from developing
countries perspective, which is understudied.
Originality/value –This study offers fresh insights into the WLB and SS concepts from the non-western
context, such as Nigeria, highlighting the previously understudied challenges of WLB and SS and their
implications for female doctors.
Keywords Nigeria, Social sustainability, Institutional theory, Patriarchy, Female medical doctors,
WLB challenges
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
For many people “work constitutes the central life interest”(Chandra, 2012, p. 1040).
But work, though fundamental, is only an aspect of the many interests that human beings
pursue (Crouter, 1984). Work interferes with social and family life and vice versa. When the
pressures of work hinder the pursuit of other life interest, it is likely to generate a crisis and
the consequential stress and strain on employees and employers (Guest, 2001). Balancing
work and social life demands has become an established area of research and practice
particularly in western countries. In western countries, several work have been carried out
Employee Relations
Vol. 40 No. 5, 2018
pp. 868-888
© Emerald PublishingLimited
0142-5455
DOI 10.1108/ER-06-2017-0131
Received 14 June 2017
Revised 19 January 2018
Accepted 15 March 2018
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/0142-5455.htm
868
ER
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on work-life-balance (hereafter WLB) to understand the impact this concept has on
individuals (employees) and their capacity to manage work and social aspect of their lives
(Aldous, 1969; Felstead et al., 2002). For instance, Dex and Bond’s (2005) work illustrates
WLB in the UK; Hari’s (2016) work in Canada; Kinnunen and Mauno’s (1998) study in
Finland; and Voydanoff (2004) work in the USA. Similar works have been undertaken in
Asia including Chandra (2012) and Xiao and Cooke (2012) among others. The overarching
theme in these studies is the preoccupation to balance work and social responsibilities
without conflict and stress (Staines, 1980).
Despite attempt made globally tostudy WLB, it is still at an incipientstage in developing
countries, such as Nigeria, which is understudied (Mordi et al., 2013; Adisa et al., 2016;
Adisa et al., 2017). Thus, countries in Sub-Saharan Africa constitute “a neglected and little
understoodarea of inquiry”(Adisa et al.,2017, p. 454). This situationconstitutes a research gap
given disparities in institutional system likely to affect WLB and careers (Ituma et al., 2011,
p. 3638) such as Nigeria’s medical profession. Consequently, the mainconcern of this study is
to fill this research gap by specifically exploring the impacts of WLB challenges on social
sustainability (SS), framedby Nigeria’s unique institutional structures. Institutionaltheory (IT)
deals with various frameworks within which societal and work-related issues take place in
relation to the cultural, economic, environmental and social (Mayrhofer et al., 2004). SS
incorporates a set of underlying themes including processes for creating sustainable and
successful places that promotewell-being of workers by understanding what they need from
their workplaces and families, in particular, which can support productivity, personal
growth, fulfilment and participation (Sen, 2000). Therefore, this study engages the peculiar
socio-cultural and institutional nature of Nigeria, which is dissimilar with how WLB is
conceptualised in western countries (Ituma et al., 2011).
Researchers have called for what Ituma et al. (2011, p. 3639) refer to as “country-specific
career studies”in Africa and other non-western nations so as to widen perspectives about
challenges employees (including female medical doctors) face with regard to balancing work
and non-work-related issues, for example, SS (Perrons, 2003). This approach has the
potential to “guide the development of career management theory and practice in these
regions”(Ituma et al., 2011, p. 3638) and has the capacity to engender a re-conceptualisation
of non-Anglo-Saxon countries’WLB studies. Also, given Nigeria’s increasing economic
significance in the world economy, an exploration of how WLB realities manifest as well as
impinge on SS is vital for better understanding of its unique workplace context, institutional
frameworks that shape employment and global sustainability issue (Chandra, 2012). With
some remarkable exceptions (see for example Ituma and Simpson, 2007) literature on WLB
in western countries reflects a correlation between organisational effectiveness,
performance, productivity and WLB. However, the relationship between WLB, work
culture and institutional frameworks –for instance, work culture that enables/disables
SS –is yet to be considered (Lewis et al., 2007).
Thus, the research question this study hopes to answer is:
RQ1. What are the institutional factors shaping WLB and SS for female medical doctors
in Nigeria?
To answer the above question, this study undertakes an IT approach to examine the
impact of institutional dynamics on WLB, in particular, how that has bearing on human
capital, well-being, self-fulfilment, personal growth, employee freedom/right, quality of
life, participation and fairness, which are the hallmarks of SS (Weingaertner and Moberg,
2011). Also, such objective is to avoid subjective generalisation made about WLB
studies in which meanings are progressively accepted as socially constructed
(Mallon and Cohen, 2001). The study is abductive meaning that researchers have to go
back and forth data and theory to make sense of study (Robson, 2002); it also employs an
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WLB
challenges
on social
sustainability
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