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Home, Care, and Career – At What Cost? The Lived Experiences of Working Mothers in Urban Bangladesh

Nishat, Anika Tasnim LU (2025) SIMZ21 20251
Graduate School
Abstract
What does it take to be a working mother in developing societies? How do working mothers navigate the dynamics of work and home? These questions evoke a critical issue that invites more scholarly attention to understand the lived experiences of women entering formal labour markets in developing countries. Using qualitative interviews and thematic analysis, the study examines how middle-class working mothers in urban Bangladesh perceive and navigate their dual responsibilities and whether being a mother influences their career trajectories in any way. Ten full-time working women, with at least one child aged between 5 months and 17 years and working at either an NGO or an engineering firm, were interviewed in the study. Utilizing four... (More)
What does it take to be a working mother in developing societies? How do working mothers navigate the dynamics of work and home? These questions evoke a critical issue that invites more scholarly attention to understand the lived experiences of women entering formal labour markets in developing countries. Using qualitative interviews and thematic analysis, the study examines how middle-class working mothers in urban Bangladesh perceive and navigate their dual responsibilities and whether being a mother influences their career trajectories in any way. Ten full-time working women, with at least one child aged between 5 months and 17 years and working at either an NGO or an engineering firm, were interviewed in the study. Utilizing four theoretical lenses, collected data was analyzed from which three overarching themes were identified, each with its own set of subthemes. The findings reveal that participants faced persistent pressure to excel at work while meeting expectations surrounding household and caregiving at home. Many felt compelled to live up to the “ideal” standards of motherhood prescribed by society and culture, leading to face role-conflict situations and corresponding mental load that influenced their career choices and overall well-being. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Nishat, Anika Tasnim LU
supervisor
organization
course
SIMZ21 20251
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
professional middle-class women, home, motherhood, career, triple burden, role-conflict.
language
English
id
9203955
date added to LUP
2025-06-25 14:21:32
date last changed
2025-06-25 14:21:32
@misc{9203955,
  abstract     = {{What does it take to be a working mother in developing societies? How do working mothers navigate the dynamics of work and home? These questions evoke a critical issue that invites more scholarly attention to understand the lived experiences of women entering formal labour markets in developing countries. Using qualitative interviews and thematic analysis, the study examines how middle-class working mothers in urban Bangladesh perceive and navigate their dual responsibilities and whether being a mother influences their career trajectories in any way. Ten full-time working women, with at least one child aged between 5 months and 17 years and working at either an NGO or an engineering firm, were interviewed in the study. Utilizing four theoretical lenses, collected data was analyzed from which three overarching themes were identified, each with its own set of subthemes. The findings reveal that participants faced persistent pressure to excel at work while meeting expectations surrounding household and caregiving at home. Many felt compelled to live up to the “ideal” standards of motherhood prescribed by society and culture, leading to face role-conflict situations and corresponding mental load that influenced their career choices and overall well-being.}},
  author       = {{Nishat, Anika Tasnim}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Home, Care, and Career – At What Cost? The Lived Experiences of Working Mothers in Urban Bangladesh}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}