Degree

BS (Social Sciences & Liberal Arts)

Faculty / School

School of Economics and Social Sciences (SESS)

Department

Department of Social Sciences & Liberal Arts

Date of Award

Spring 2025

Date of Submission

2025-07-10

Advisor

Dr. Saima Bint-E-Saif, Assistant Professor, Department of SSLA

Project Type

SSLA Culminating Experience

Access Type

Restricted Access

Keywords

perceived social support, work-life balance, married working women, cultural gender expectations, joint family systems

Abstract

In Pakistani urban cities like Lahore and Karachi, the growing participation of married women in the workforce intersects with traditional role expectations, where women are primarily tasked with domestic responsibilities like cooking and cleaning. This makes the perception and availability of social support a critical factor in these women’s work-life experiences. This research explores how perceived social support within joint family systems impacts the work-life balance of married working women in Lahore and Karachi. Using a qualitative interpretative phenomenological approach, data was collected through semi-structured interviews with eight participants selected via purposive and snowball sampling. Inclusion criteria required participants to be married, living in joint family households, non-mothers, employed full-time, and married for one to five years. The research was grounded in three questions: (1) How does the perception of social support influence work-life balance? (2) In what ways does this perception affect women’s ability to manage dual roles? (3) What factors facilitate or hinder support-seeking behaviors? Five key themes emerged: subjective appraisal of support, negotiating work-life balance, barriers and enablers in seeking support, financial independence, and age-related agency. Findings indicate that emotional and instrumental support, when perceived as consistent and judgement free, can reduce psychological strain and enable more effective role management. Conversely, a perceived unavailability, and conditional or withdrawn support contributed to role overload, resentment and guilt. This study employs a hybrid theoretical framework rooted in the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model, while integrating key concepts from social cognition theory, particularly the cognitive appraisal of social support, and the concept of role overload. Findings offer implications for family structures, workplace policies, and future research in Pakistani cultural context.

Pages

7, 77

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