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Women Leaders’ Work‐Life Imbalance in South Korean Companies: A Collaborative Qualitative Study
Author(s) -
Cho Yonjoo,
Park Jiwon,
Ju Boreum,
Han Soo Jeoung,
Moon Hanna,
Park Sohee,
Ju Ahreum,
Park Eugene
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
human resource development quarterly
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.756
H-Index - 65
eISSN - 1532-1096
pISSN - 1044-8004
DOI - 10.1002/hrdq.21262
Subject(s) - snowball sampling , qualitative research , context (archaeology) , public relations , leadership style , work–life balance , psychology , sociology , personal life , leadership development , work (physics) , social psychology , political science , social science , medicine , paleontology , mechanical engineering , pathology , law , biology , engineering
The purpose of this collaborative qualitative study was to investigate the lived experience of women leaders in South Korean companies who manage their work and life and develop their leadership in the face of organizational and cultural constraints. Critical to this investigation was the understanding of three concepts represented in the literature on women in leadership: cultural context, work‐life balance, and leadership development. A team of eight researchers conducted a collaborative qualitative study to interview 50 women leaders using a purposeful and snowball sampling method. As a result, we found that women leaders experience difficulties in work‐life balance and leadership development largely due to a gendered workplace. By gendered workplace we mean frequent drinking after work, the exclusion of women leaders from informal networking, and a lack of developmental opportunities. The gendered workplace forced them to sacrifice their personal lives in order to work long hours and develop their own strategies for work‐life balance. We also found that there were noticeable differences in their narratives by position (28 team leaders and 22 executives) and marital status (37 married and 13 singles) concerning family support, major challenges, definitions of success, leadership styles, and mentors. Based on the study findings, we provided implications for research and practice and the study limitations.