Walking the tightrope between work and non-work life: strategies employed by British and Chinese academics and their implications

Abstract

Drawing on in-depth interviews with 30 academics from various disciplines in both UK and Chinese universities, this comparative study aims to offer new insights into how academics in British and Chinese universities maintained work–life balance and the similarities and differences experienced between academics of both countries. This study finds that both British and Chinese academics adopted a range of approaches to cope with work–life imbalance, and the approaches fall into three types of coping strategies, namely behavioural, interpersonal, and intrapersonal. Whilst convergence occurs in coping strategies adopted by the two groups of academics, this study uncovers greater divergence. This can be explained by differing institutional, legal and political arrangements, and cultural values and attitudes to work and life in the two contexts. All of these have practical implications for institutions and managers in both higher education sectors.

Keywords:

• academics
• China
• coping strategies
• higher education
• the UK
• work–life balance

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the interviewees who agreed to be part of our study.