"Being a leader is a lifestyle" : Female managers perception of balance between leadership and homelife

Having a managerial position and being a woman at the same time can amount to certain problems. Women often have the main responsibility in the houshold whilst also maintaining a great extent of responsibility in the worklife. High demands on the individual in both spheres can make the perceived balance between work life and private life fragile and create difficulties for the individual to achieve balance between the two spheres. To have a great responsibility at the workplace also entails a requirement of accessibility and this requirement could intrude on the perceived balance between work life and private life. This paper examines two main questions: How can the perceived balance between work life and private life be portrayed among female managers? How may the perceived balance differentiate between work life and private life among women in leading positions since they became managers? The theoretical frame of reference form the basis of the study and addresses theories on work-life balance, gender studies and management studies. The study was carried out by using a qualitative method and utilized interviews as the main method for data collection. Ten female managers have participated in the survey. These respondents were selected according to set criterias: to be a female in a leading position working in the public sector. The results show that female managers have great experiences of work-life balance. The perceived balance between work life and private life was based on four different points: the importance of having the ability to keep work life and private life separate, flexibility in the profession, support from your surroundings and time for yourself. The results also show that the balance between work life and private life is something that could be affected by the profession itself. The female managers argue that the managerial position offers a type of freedom which makes them perceive their experience of work-life balance as better in the managerial position than before they became a manager.