Work life Harmony of Single Mothers in the Teaching Profession

Abstract

Teaching career forms a unique intersection of employment and personal interests to single mothers who might experience a number of problems due to non-traditional conceptions of work-life balance. The concept of work life harmony as discussed in this paper is in addition to the notion of the balance between the work and home life as a pursuit, it entails the introduction of the emotional wellness, social support and the self-fulfillment. To understand how a single mother who is a teacher has managed the complex two-fold lives, qualitative and descriptive approach is utilized and the mother shares her experience on how she has managed to stay successful in the dual roles. It was done through in-depth interviews and thematic analysis, and the aspects, which were taken into account, were time management, institutional support, coping mechanisms, and community networks.

Findings have shown that despite some of the advantages to teaching this way like keeping in line with school life of children and regular schedules, single mothers still have stressors like the financial burden, loss of personal time, and social pressures. Some of the most important factors in preserving work-life balance include teamwork and flexible schedules highlighted by the various respondents who also highlighted the good working environment policy. The coping strategies which proved to be extremely important since they were identified as involved in emotional strength, concentration and dependence on the extended family or peer networks.

Strengths of institutions and educators policy makers are identified by the paper to enable them develop interventions, which would precisely meet the needs of the single mothers in the teaching profession. Positive recommendations of inclusive policies, counselling mentorship programs, career development programs, which do not negatively affect the well-being of a person are possible. After all, there is not only a question of establishing a balance between work and family but, on the contrary, creating a workplace atmosphere where professional and personal fulfilment and work-life harmony run side-by-side among single mothers. The research contributes to the gender, family, and professional well-being debates and makes findings that could be used to inform supportive systems in the teaching field and other systems.