Abstract
This chapter presents a qualitative comparative account of the day-to-day experiences of working mothers in sub-Saharan African (Zimbabwe) and Western (Australia) contexts. Evidence for the chapter is drawn from interviews conducted with a group of thirty women (15 in Adelaide, Australia and 15 in Harare, Zimbabwe) about their subjective experiences of negotiating between paid work and family. Specifically, the chapter not only documents new empirical evidence in this area in Zimbabwe but it also presents a comprehensive comparative analysis of the strategies and negotiations of working women in two culturally, economically, and socially diverse contexts. In the end, by juxtaposing African (Zimbabwean) woman’s experiences of work–family interface with those of her western (Australian) counterpart, highlighting and drawing out the commonalities of their experiences, the chapter affirms the complex nature of the work and family interface for women in Zimbabwe, whose work–family conflict experiences remain a neglected subject of research.
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According to Hochschild (1989) a ‘stalled’ gender roles and gender behaviour revolution refers to the disjuncture between the rate at which women have entered the (full time) labour market (the increase in female labour force participation) and men’s participation in unpaid household and care work that still leaves women overburdened with paid work and familial responsibilities. Even though men are taking on more responsibility for domestic work than before, women still do the bigger share, even when engaged in full time work.
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Mapedzahama, V. (2014). Work and Family in a Cross-Cultural Context: A Comparative Review of Work–Family Experiences of Working Mothers in Australia and Zimbabwe. In: Mokomane, Z. (eds) Work–Family Interface in Sub-Saharan Africa. International Perspectives on Social Policy, Administration, and Practice. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-01237-7_3
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