Tussle of identities: Indian women engineers on work-family conflict

PurposeThis study aims to focus on understanding the work-family conflict of Indian women engineers through the lens of identity conflict.Design/methodology/approachSemi-structured interviews conducted with 20 Indian women engineers working in India and abroad of varying ages and work experience helped in understanding the types, sources and coping decisions about work-family conflicts experienced by them. Thematic analysis was conducted to analyse the qualitative data.FindingsThe findings reveal that as women engineers negotiate their "engineering" and "woman" identities, work-family conflict manifests as a battle of time and responsibilities, psychological strain and behaviour-based conflict. Furthermore, self-expectations and negative social sanctions play an important role in augmenting the experiences of these conflicts. The results also reveal how women re-strategize their career decisions to conciliate their conflicting identities.Originality/valueThis study furthers the literature on resolving work-family conflict by taking an identity perspective. Recommendations in literature such as work flexibility and part-time work, place the onus on women to increase their capacities to perform different roles better. Examining work-family conflict from an identity perspective allows us to look at the psychological processes underlying the challenges women face in balancing work and home in a male-dominated profession. These give insights into the need to go beyond accommodations in the workplace to redefine gender roles and relations for equal participation of women in the modern workforce.