Volume 25, Issue 98 (10-2025)
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Ahmadi M, Zare Shahabadi A. (2025). Working Women's Strategies for Achieving Work–Life Balance in Sanandaj. refahj. 25(98), : 4 doi:10.32598/refahj.25.98.1005.3
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URL: http://refahj.uswr.ac.ir/article-1-4389-en.html
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Introduction
Throughout history, women’s participation in the domestic and social spheres has undergone significant fluctuations (Durant, 2020). In the modern era, women increasingly pursue self-expression, confidence, and personal growth by engaging in professional and social activities alongside men. However, married working women often bear multiple responsibilities, managing careers, fulfilling household duties, and attending to marital and parental roles (Rajabi-Farjad, 2020, p. 219). Juggling these roles demands substantial energy and meticulous coordination to mitigate role conflict. Consequently, for these women, achieving work-life balance is not merely desirable but essential (Baradaran et al., 2023, p. 36). It is within this context that the present study aims to explore the strategies married working women employ to establish harmony between their professional and personal lives.
Method
This qualitative study employed in-depth, semi-structured interviews for data collection. Participants consisted of 20 married working women, all of whom were born and residing in Sanandaj. They were selected through purposive sampling with a maximum variation strategy to capture a wide spectrum of experiences. The interviews, lasting between 45 and 60 minutes, were transcribed verbatim for analysis.
The data were analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s (2006) six-phase thematic analysis framework, which involves familiarizing oneself with the data, generating initial codes, searching for themes, reviewing themes, defining themes, and producing the report. To ensure the validity and reliability of the study, several measures were implemented. These included maximizing participant diversity across variables such as age, education, marriage duration, employment type, income, number of children, and spouse’s characteristics. Furthermore, member checking was performed by having participants review the coded transcripts for accuracy. Finally, the entire research process, including coding and theme extraction, was evaluated by external experts to enhance credibility.
Findings
The participants’ ages ranged from 27 to 51 years, with marriage durations of 2 to 28 years and 0 to 4 children. All participants held a minimum of a bachelor’s degree. Fourteen were employed in the public sector and six in the private sector, with work experience ranging from 3 to 24 years. Their monthly income varied between 8 and 35 million Iranian rials.
The strategies employed by married working women to achieve work-life balance were categorized into five main themes—realism, time management, self-care for physical and mental health, claiming rights, and attention to social etiquette—along with 14 corresponding sub-themes. These sub-themes included balanced self-expectations, avoiding comparisons with others, effort and hard work, planning, prioritization, division of labor, avoiding time-wasting, timely execution of tasks, physical care, mental care, claiming rights, social courtesy, modesty and chastity, and respect for privacy.
Discussion
The study highlights that married working women achieve work-life balance through a multifaceted and dynamic approach. By adopting realistic self-expectations and aligning their goals with their actual capacities, they establish a sustainable foundation for managing their roles. Furthermore, avoiding comparisons and unnecessary competition helps them mitigate external pressures and maintain focus on their personal progress.
Time management emerged as a pivotal strategy for balancing multiple roles. Effective planning, task prioritization, and the division of labor not only enhanced productivity but also helped prevent mental fatigue. By avoiding procrastination and making optimal use of their time, participants were able to meet both personal and professional obligations more effectively.
Self-care strategies were central to maintaining physical and emotional well-being. The participants emphasized that maintaining a healthy lifestyle, avoiding unhealthy environments, and cultivating psychological resilience enabled them to confront life’s challenges with greater calm and efficiency.
Claiming rights surfaced as a key theme, reflecting a shift from a passive stance to active participation in social and civic life. By confronting discrimination and asserting their rights, the women fostered individual and collective empowerment, thereby gaining greater control over their lives and enhancing their social standing.
Finally, attention to social etiquette and boundaries significantly supported participants’ ability to maintain balance. Through respecting personal and family privacy, observing relational limits, and upholding norms of modesty and respectful behavior, they cultivated safer and more stable personal environments, which contributed to an overall sense of peace and security.
In summary, the findings underscore that achieving work-life balance extends beyond mere time management or role fulfillment. It entails a comprehensive strategy integrating realism, self-care, social ethics, rights advocacy, and relational boundaries. Married working women thus employ an adaptive and reflective approach to navigate the demands of their multiple roles while sustaining personal growth, family harmony, and social integration.
Ethical Considerations
Author Contributions
All authors contributed to the preparation of this article.
Funding
No financial support from any individual or organization was received for the preparation of this article.
Conflict of Interest
The authors declared that there is no conflict of interest.
Research Ethics
All ethical considerations were adhered to in this article, including honesty, avoidance of plagiarism, integrity, and confidentiality.
Baradaran, M., Javadi, A., & Yavari, K. (2023). Social and cultural challenges of working women: Conditions, strategies, and consequences (Case study: Female teachers in Golpayegan). Iranian Journal of Social Issues, 14(1), 35–59. https://doi.org/10.61186/jspi.14.1.35
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77-101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
Durant, W. (2020). History of Civilization. Vol 9. (S. Azari, Trans.). 17th ed. Tehran: Scientific and Cultural Publishing Company. P: 53.
Grunenfelder, J. (2013). Discourses of gender identities and gender roles in Pakistan: Women and non-domestic work in political representations. Women’s Studies International Forum, 40(1), 68-77. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wsif.2013.05.007
Rajabi Farjad, H. (2020). Presenting a model for work-life balance of female police officers in Greater Tehran (FATA). Quarterly Journal of Police and Social Research on Women and Family, 8(1), 217–243. https://sid.ir/paper/365843/fa
Throughout history, women’s participation in the domestic and social spheres has undergone significant fluctuations (Durant, 2020). In the modern era, women increasingly pursue self-expression, confidence, and personal growth by engaging in professional and social activities alongside men. However, married working women often bear multiple responsibilities, managing careers, fulfilling household duties, and attending to marital and parental roles (Rajabi-Farjad, 2020, p. 219). Juggling these roles demands substantial energy and meticulous coordination to mitigate role conflict. Consequently, for these women, achieving work-life balance is not merely desirable but essential (Baradaran et al., 2023, p. 36). It is within this context that the present study aims to explore the strategies married working women employ to establish harmony between their professional and personal lives.
Method
This qualitative study employed in-depth, semi-structured interviews for data collection. Participants consisted of 20 married working women, all of whom were born and residing in Sanandaj. They were selected through purposive sampling with a maximum variation strategy to capture a wide spectrum of experiences. The interviews, lasting between 45 and 60 minutes, were transcribed verbatim for analysis.
The data were analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s (2006) six-phase thematic analysis framework, which involves familiarizing oneself with the data, generating initial codes, searching for themes, reviewing themes, defining themes, and producing the report. To ensure the validity and reliability of the study, several measures were implemented. These included maximizing participant diversity across variables such as age, education, marriage duration, employment type, income, number of children, and spouse’s characteristics. Furthermore, member checking was performed by having participants review the coded transcripts for accuracy. Finally, the entire research process, including coding and theme extraction, was evaluated by external experts to enhance credibility.
Findings
The participants’ ages ranged from 27 to 51 years, with marriage durations of 2 to 28 years and 0 to 4 children. All participants held a minimum of a bachelor’s degree. Fourteen were employed in the public sector and six in the private sector, with work experience ranging from 3 to 24 years. Their monthly income varied between 8 and 35 million Iranian rials.
The strategies employed by married working women to achieve work-life balance were categorized into five main themes—realism, time management, self-care for physical and mental health, claiming rights, and attention to social etiquette—along with 14 corresponding sub-themes. These sub-themes included balanced self-expectations, avoiding comparisons with others, effort and hard work, planning, prioritization, division of labor, avoiding time-wasting, timely execution of tasks, physical care, mental care, claiming rights, social courtesy, modesty and chastity, and respect for privacy.
Discussion
The study highlights that married working women achieve work-life balance through a multifaceted and dynamic approach. By adopting realistic self-expectations and aligning their goals with their actual capacities, they establish a sustainable foundation for managing their roles. Furthermore, avoiding comparisons and unnecessary competition helps them mitigate external pressures and maintain focus on their personal progress.
Time management emerged as a pivotal strategy for balancing multiple roles. Effective planning, task prioritization, and the division of labor not only enhanced productivity but also helped prevent mental fatigue. By avoiding procrastination and making optimal use of their time, participants were able to meet both personal and professional obligations more effectively.
Self-care strategies were central to maintaining physical and emotional well-being. The participants emphasized that maintaining a healthy lifestyle, avoiding unhealthy environments, and cultivating psychological resilience enabled them to confront life’s challenges with greater calm and efficiency.
Claiming rights surfaced as a key theme, reflecting a shift from a passive stance to active participation in social and civic life. By confronting discrimination and asserting their rights, the women fostered individual and collective empowerment, thereby gaining greater control over their lives and enhancing their social standing.
Finally, attention to social etiquette and boundaries significantly supported participants’ ability to maintain balance. Through respecting personal and family privacy, observing relational limits, and upholding norms of modesty and respectful behavior, they cultivated safer and more stable personal environments, which contributed to an overall sense of peace and security.
In summary, the findings underscore that achieving work-life balance extends beyond mere time management or role fulfillment. It entails a comprehensive strategy integrating realism, self-care, social ethics, rights advocacy, and relational boundaries. Married working women thus employ an adaptive and reflective approach to navigate the demands of their multiple roles while sustaining personal growth, family harmony, and social integration.
Ethical Considerations
Author Contributions
All authors contributed to the preparation of this article.
Funding
No financial support from any individual or organization was received for the preparation of this article.
Conflict of Interest
The authors declared that there is no conflict of interest.
Research Ethics
All ethical considerations were adhered to in this article, including honesty, avoidance of plagiarism, integrity, and confidentiality.
Baradaran, M., Javadi, A., & Yavari, K. (2023). Social and cultural challenges of working women: Conditions, strategies, and consequences (Case study: Female teachers in Golpayegan). Iranian Journal of Social Issues, 14(1), 35–59. https://doi.org/10.61186/jspi.14.1.35
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77-101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
Durant, W. (2020). History of Civilization. Vol 9. (S. Azari, Trans.). 17th ed. Tehran: Scientific and Cultural Publishing Company. P: 53.
Grunenfelder, J. (2013). Discourses of gender identities and gender roles in Pakistan: Women and non-domestic work in political representations. Women’s Studies International Forum, 40(1), 68-77. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wsif.2013.05.007
Rajabi Farjad, H. (2020). Presenting a model for work-life balance of female police officers in Greater Tehran (FATA). Quarterly Journal of Police and Social Research on Women and Family, 8(1), 217–243. https://sid.ir/paper/365843/fa
Type of Study: orginal |
Received: 2024/09/5 | Accepted: 2025/09/6 | Published: 2025/10/4
Received: 2024/09/5 | Accepted: 2025/09/6 | Published: 2025/10/4
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