ABSTRACT
The complex lives of women have made role management a challenge because, in addition to holding down time-consuming jobs, women are responsible for family management. The objective of this study is to identify the tactics used by women during the post-maternity-leave period to reconcile conflicting role-related demands when the women return to work. Through a qualitative investigation that included 28 in-depth interviews and content analysis, ten tactics were identified. All interviewees are Brazilian, and data were collected between March 2021 and January 2022. The maternity leave of all interviewees lasted 120 days, which is a standard period in Brazil. Our results represent an advance in what is known in terms of the experience of women negotiating their roles during the post-maternity-leave period. To cope with challenges related to overlapping role demands, women assume an active stance and apply integration and segmentation to their roles while executing them at different times of the day or simultaneously.
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No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Bruno Felix
Bruno Felix is an organizational behavior researcher and Professor of Business Administration at Fucape Business School, Brazil. His work focuses on identities at work, boundary management and careers. His work has been published in journals such as the The International Journal of Human Resources Management, Frontiers in Psychology and Career Development International.
Sabrina Zanotti Galon
Sabrina Galon is an independent organizational behavior researcher. Her work focuses on the work-life interface.
Rubens de Araujo Amaro
Rubens de Araujo Amaro is an organizational studies researcher and Professor of Business Administration at Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Brazil. His work focuses on school management, learning in organizations, competence development, organizational aesthetics, teaching and research in Administration.