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Abstract
Background. Working mothers are committed to advancing the mandate of the organisations that employ them, yet they also bear the pre- existing and important responsibilities of household care and child-rearing. This can impact their ability to maintain a healthy work-life balance.
Objective. To investigate the global concept of work-life balance among working mothers in Namibian, with a particular interest in how it influences their work engagement.
Methods. In this cross-sectional survey, a positivist approach was used to collect data from working mothers in Windhoek (n=200), using purposive sampling.
Results. There was a significant inverse relationship between family-to-work conflict and work engagement. We also found a significant inverse relationship between work-family conflict, family-to-work conflict and working mothers’ vigour at work, one of the dimensions of work engagement. Family-to-work conflict was found to negatively affect working mothers’ absorption at work, another dimension of work engagement.
Conclusion. Organisations, regardless of size, should recognise the important roles played by working mothers and implement interventions to mitigate negative spillovers between homes and work responsibilities, ultimately enhancing work engagement.
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