Work–Life Balance

Abstract

Communication studies research on work–life balance takes a constitutive approach that communication constitutes work–life enactments, and that work–life enactments differ based on economic systems, political landscapes, gender ideologies, cultural values and attitudes, history, and governmental support. This research spans from broad studies of societal constructs such as ideal workers and gendered norms, to organizational constructs such as work–life “cultures” and policies, to interpersonal studies of how individuals communicate about their working and personal lives with supervisors, coworkers, partners, and children, to examining individual negotiations of boundaries, routines, and identity related to (paid) work and personal life.