ABSTRACT
In the peak stages of the family life cycle, working women must grapple with the Herculean task of balancing organizational and familial roles. Factors such as socioeconomic status (SES), family structure, behavioral dynamics in the family, attitude of the spouse, and self-perceptions influence the type and amount of stress experienced by working women, To enhance organizational role performance and achieve an emotionally satisfying family life, it is essential for working women to address those stressors that significantly affect performance in their familial role. This chapter investigates psychosocial and cultural factors contributing to familial role stress in an exploratory study of working women in Bombay, India. The target group consisted of 45 married women, ages 25–40 years, who worked full time or were self-employed. The type and magnitude of stress experienced at the workplace and in the home, and its effects on the marital relationship and on relations with children and other family members, were examined. Causes of familial role stress, its direct and indirect consequences, and the various strategies that working women use to cope with stress were identified. Recommendations for reducing familial role stress were also offered.
