Work/Family Balance for Men in Student Affairs

Abstract

This qualitative study will examine the concept of work/family demand specifically through the lens of male student affairs practitioners. Work family balance has been identified as a critical issue for the field of HRD impacting both individual and organizational performance. The profession of student affairs was chosen, due to its nature of requiring long hours and encouraging unhealthy practitioner behavior. A qualitative, case study approach was used. Seven men representing a wide variety of years of service, marital status, and university environments were selected and asked to share their impressions and experience with work/family balance within their profession. Clark's Work/Family Border theory was used to guide this study. The emergent themes indicate that men create definitions for the boundaries between work and home based on their individual station in life including marital and parental status. The men face emotional consequences for their actions, and in essence learn their boundaries based on how they impact other people. The findings of this study will assist HRD practitioners in the ability to create individualized means by which to help men achieve work/family balance and maintain mental and emotional health. This in turn will allow them to be as productive as they can be within their organizational setting. Furthermore, this dissertation will encourage HRD practitioners to consider the full context of the day to day stressors, from both work and home that impact an individuals' overall performance.