Impact of the Work-Life Balance on the Buying Behaviour of Working Mothers at the Executive Level in Mandalay, Myanmar

Abstract

Many new job opportunities have emerged in Mandalay, Myanmar over the last two or three years. As working patterns have changed, many women who have one or more children have been able to enter the work force. At the same time, they still need to take to do domestic and emotional labour such as cooking, washing, buying household goods, caring for children and elderly dependents, sending and collecting children to and from school and so on. However, the rapid growth of the economy that has given rise to tremendous increases in the entry of women to the labour force in addition to maintaining their traditional role as homemaker has also led to more pressure on those women to balance their work and personal life. This study attempts the impact of work life balance on the buying behaviour of working mothers at the executive level in Mandalay. The study is based on a qualitative study of 30 women who are working at the executive level in both public and private sectors. The results of the study include perceptions on work-life balance, the importance of purchasing items for household consumption and strategies for convenient purchasing. Keywords: buying behaviour, executive level, working mothers, work-life balance