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Work Challenges and Coping Strategies of Professional and Managerial Dual-Career Couples in Malaysia

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  • Rafiduraida Abdul Rahman
  • Wan Salmuni Wan Mustaffa
  • Suraini Mohd Rhouse
  • Hariyaty Ab Wahid

Abstract

This paper investigates the challenges of work and coping strategies of professional and managerial dual-career couples in Malaysia using gender role ideology and role salience theoretical framework. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were used to collect data from 23 dual-career couples. The findings identified a number of work challenges faced by the couples such as heavy workloads, long working hours, working away from home, coping with supervisors and the working environment. Evidently, some helpful support and strategies have also been found to help these couples to cope with the challenges such as having a domestic helper, receiving support from family, colleagues and supervisors, and having a flexible working arrangement. Moreover, some useful strategies are also found to be useful to the couples, such as psychological approaches, separating work from family and having good organization and prioritizing skills. The experiences described by the participants reflect their gender role attitude and salience of family and work roles. This paper fills the gap in Malaysian literatures which focus more on women instead of investigation that includes both husband and wife. This study also adds more research on dual-career couples in a non-Western context which are generally lacking. Furthermore, it extends the joint use of gender role ideology and role salience perspectives in examining the context of couples by exhibiting its utility in understanding the Malaysian couples’ experiences.

Suggested Citation

  • Rafiduraida Abdul Rahman & Wan Salmuni Wan Mustaffa & Suraini Mohd Rhouse & Hariyaty Ab Wahid, 2016. "Work Challenges and Coping Strategies of Professional and Managerial Dual-Career Couples in Malaysia," International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, Human Resource Management Academic Research Society, International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, vol. 6(12), pages 256-271, December.
  • Handle: RePEc:hur:ijarbs:v:6:y:2016:i:12:p:256-271
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Greenhaus, Jeffrey H. & Powell, Gary N., 2003. "When work and family collide: Deciding between competing role demands," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 90(2), pages 291-303, March.
    2. Nicole Bosch & Anja Deelen & Rob Euwals, 2010. "Is Part‐time Employment Here to Stay? Working Hours of Dutch Women over Successive Generations," LABOUR, CEIS, vol. 24(1), pages 35-54, March.
    3. Kalthom Abdullah & Noraini Noor & Saodah Wok, 2008. "The Perceptions of Women’s Roles and Progress: A Study of Malay Women," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 89(3), pages 439-455, December.
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