A study of work-family balance policies and practices for returning nursing mothers in the Nigerian banking industry

Ogunbor, ON

Abstract

With the increase in the number of women in the labour force, there has been a growing literature on working women handling multiple roles arising from work and family. Presently there is a gap in the literature about the activities of the returning nursing mothers in the developing countries, with theories and most findings concentrated on studies in developed countries. This study intends to fill part of the gap in the literature by investigating the lived experiences of the returning nursing mothers in the Nigerian banking sector, with a view of understanding their challenges and coping strategy as they navigate between work and family domains.
This study applies a qualitative research method. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were carried out with 18 returning nursing mothers, 4 senior managers, 4 human resource managers, and 6 line-managers/supervisors across two commercial banks in Nigeria. To understand the available work-family balance policies in the workplace, particularly to the returning nursing mothers. In order to assist in the identification and interpretation of issues confronting the returning nursing mother’s ability to achieve work-family balance, this study draws on work-family border theory.
The findings of this study show that there are limited work-family balance policies in the Nigerian banking sector. The returning nursing mothers lack autonomy and flexibility in their work due to lack of formal policy, bureaucracy, and the organisational culture. This complements earlier studies on work and family in developing countries focusing on the experience of strain by working mothers. However, analysis from this research suggests that some of these stress-related conflicts were caused by the prevalent work culture of long-working hours and presenteeism. The returning nursing mothers desire to have autonomy and flexibility in their work, in order to have a balance in work and perceive benefits for themselves, families and their organisations if such opportunities were made available. In addition, the findings provide a deeper understanding of the different problems which Nigerian women face in achieving work-family balance. The factors identified in this research study that prevent the returning nursing mothers in Nigeria from achieving a satisfactory balance between work and family include, cultural and traditional norms, lack of suitable childcare, transportation, and family and work responsibilities.
Lastly, the study shows how Border Theory can be developed by adding new constructs to expand Clark’s (2000) model to make better sense of the issues faced by the Nigerian working mothers, particularly, as it relates to institutional and cultural factors. By drawing upon the elements previously neglected in the work-family Border Theory, this study contributes to debates on how Border Theory can inform understanding of work-family balance in previously under-researched cultural contexts

Citation

Ogunbor, O. A study of work-family balance policies and practices for returning nursing mothers in the Nigerian banking industry. (Thesis). University of Salford

• Thesis Type: Thesis
• Deposit Date: Oct 15, 2021
• Publicly Available Date: Oct 15, 2021
• Award Date: Sep 21, 2021