Exploring self employed fathers and work/life balance issues

Abstract

The aim of this qualitative research is to explore and analyse how self-employed men balance their paid work with their family and their children. More specifically the research focuses on the work-family challenges that are encountered by self-employed married fathers with children younger than eighteen years of age. In order to achieve the aim of this study, semi structured, face-to-face interviews were conducted with eight self-employed fathers who work in different sectors of the economy. The collected data was analysed using the Thematic Analysis approach. The research suggests that all the fathers in this study link self-employment with a better income and this gave them a great sense of satisfaction. As a result, and in line with their gendered masculine values and the importance they attach to their breadwinning role, they often gave paid work priority over other family issues. This happens in spite of the fact that being self-employed brings with it a lot of challenges such as long working hours and work during the weekend. As a result of the demanding work, the majority had little or no spare time for their children and they all assumed that their wives would take on the main caring roles with regards to their children and the main household chores. This was assumed, even when the wives had a full-time job or when their wives helped in the running of the family business. These factors highlight the complexity of the work-life challenges faced by self-employed fathers and their families and how these interact with gendered masculine values.