A Study on Factors Affecting Female Educators’ Harmonious Work Life Balance in Vadodara

Resumen

The increasing participation of women in the workforce has intensified the need to comprehend work-life balance, particularly in industries which are emotionally and administratively demanding, such as teaching. This study explores the factors affecting work-life balance among women teachers employed in private schools in Vadodara. Based on a review of the literature and empirical investigation, this paper examines personal, professional, and organizational factors that influence the propensity of female educators to balance professional obligations with family roles effectively. A structured questionnaire was administered to the women teachers and the data were subjected to reliability testing, descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and factor analysis. The results indicated a high internal consistency of the scale, Cronbach’s α = 0.878. By applying factor analysis, three underlying constructs of work-life balance have been extracted, namely: Holistic Well-being Support, Parenthood Support, and Time Flexibility. From the teachers’ perspective, flexibility in working hours, counseling services, family support programs, paid maternity/paternity leave, and job security upon return after parental leave were the most emphasized. Therefore, the findings indicate that supportive institutional policies, mainly those related to well-being and parenthood, do enhance work-life balance and job satisfaction among women educators. Conclusively, the study presents a demand for private educational organizations to adopt such inclusive, flexible, and employee-centric policies that encourage long-term retention, well-being, and performance. Limitations relate to the geographical scope of this study, reliance on self-reported measures, and the absence of comparative groups.