THE MEANING OF WORK-LIFE BALANCE AMONG FEMALE CIVIL SERVANTS AT THE PEKALONGAN CITY STATISTICS AGENCY: AN EXPLORATORY QUALITATIVE STUDY
Abstract
This study examines the meaning of work-life balance (WLB) among female civil servants at the Pekalongan City Statistics Agency through a critical sociological perspective. Previous WLB studies have predominantly emphasized managerial and psychological approaches that frame balance as an individual capacity for time management and personal adjustment while overlooking structural dimensions such as patriarchal gender norms, bureaucratic power relations, and organizational discipline. This study argues that WLB among female civil servants should be understood as a socially constructed and gendered experience shaped by the interaction between domestic responsibilities and bureaucratic demands. This research employed a qualitative approach with an interpretive phenomenological design. Data were collected through open-ended online questionnaires involving nine married female civil servants and analyzed using thematic analysis supported by NVivo 12 Plus. The findings reveal that WLB is not interpreted as an equal distribution of time between work and family domains, but as a continuous negotiation of emotional well-being, family harmony, professional obligations, and social expectations. Female civil servants continue to experience a persistent double burden in which formal employment does not eliminate domestic responsibilities. Organizational cultures characterized by presenteeism, constant availability, and administrative rigidity further intensify women’s role conflict and emotional exhaustion. The novelty of this study lies in reconceptualizing WLB as a form of gendered bureaucratic control rather than merely an individual managerial issue.
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