Gender, doctorate holders, career path, and work–life balance within and outside of academia

Abstract

Research on satisfaction with work–life balance among doctorate holders is scarce when considering those working outside academia. In this article, we present research on work–life balance among female and male doctorate holders working within and outside academia, and examine how satisfied are they with their work–life balance, and the role of gender and career path in that satisfaction. We study the role of time and flexibility, and whether differences are found in career path among doctorate holders working within and outside academia. The findings, based on open-ended interviews with 32 doctorate holders in Iceland, indicate that the doctorate holders find it difficult to balance their work and family life and feel they are always in a rush. Nevertheless, the academics expressed more complex feelings about their daily lives than those outside academia, especially the women, as their flexible working arrangements allowed them to be always working meant they were always working.