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Published in:
Integrating Professional Work and Life: Conditions, Outcomes and Resources Read chapter Read first chapter

2011 | OriginalPaper | Chapter

3. From ‘Balancers’ to ‘Integrators’? Young Professionals’ Talk About ‘Work’ and the Rest of ‘Life’ in the UK

What Does ‘Work-Life Balance’ (WLB) Mean to Today’s Generation of University Graduates and Future Professionals and What Support Do They Expect?

Authors : Uracha Chatrakul Na Ayudhya, Suzan Lewis

Published in: Creating Balance?

Publisher: Springer Berlin Heidelberg

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Abstract

The topic of WLB has gained wide academic and public attention in recent times. However, an emergent critical perspective signifies the problematic nature of the WLB discourse (e.g., Fleetwood, 2007; Lewis et al., 2007). One problem is that much of the current work-life debates and research tend to focus on workers who have caring and/or other family responsibilities, thereby confining our understanding of work and personal life experiences to a particular demographic cohort and phase in the life course. Nevertheless, the WLB discourse is part of a wider context in which today’s young people, not yet in the workforce, develop impressions of what employment will entail.

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previous chapter Introducing Theoretical Approaches to Work-Life Balance and Testing a New Typology Among Professionals
next chapter Redefining Success: The Foundation for Creating Work-Life Balance
Footnotes
1
 Of the 30 participants, 15 were British-born and 15 were Asian-born graduates. In the latter group, the nationalities of graduates included (in alphabetical order) Chinese, Indian, Indonesian, Malaysian, Singaporean, and Thai.
 
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Metadata
Title
From ‘Balancers’ to ‘Integrators’? Young Professionals’ Talk About ‘Work’ and the Rest of ‘Life’ in the UK
Authors
Uracha Chatrakul Na Ayudhya
Suzan Lewis
Copyright Year
2011
Publisher
Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Book
Creating Balance?

Print ISBN: 978-3-642-16198-8

Electronic ISBN: 978-3-642-16199-5

Copyright Year: 2011

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-16199-5_3