Beyond Motherhood: The Stress Landscape for Working Women in Kuala Lumpur

Abstract

Among the roles that women are frequently associated with in society are those of mother, wife, and daughter. However, working women have another role outside the home, and juggling these responsibilities is what working women face. Being a mother is not an easy journey, especially for working mothers. Working mothers experience mental strain and high levels of stress at home and work. A mixed-method approached was used to investigate stress among working mothers at ABC Learning Centre, Kuala Lumpur. Two factors were assessed in a study contributing to stress related to one's job: 1) stress at work and 2) stress at home. To represent the population, 34 working mothers as teachers were selected as respondents. According to the study’s findings, there are no appreciable variations in the stress factors among participants based on the stress level at home and at work, there are appreciable variations in the stress factors among participants based on their full-time and part-time job status, even though the mean is slightly higher for stress at work rather than at home. The qualitative findings show that the respondents were very stressed from the workload like handling students, handling administrative tasks, guidance, counselling, supervision and attending parents.  To develop successfully and manage the dual role of working women and mothers, researchers advise management to take a proactive approach by offering exposure through a variety of courses and regular, pertinent training, with a focus on time management skills training. The researcher suggested creating avenues for advancement within every education field as a token of appreciation for the contributions made throughout their tenure. This will foster a never-ending sense of hope and an unwavering desire for personal development among the working mothers who are teachers, leading to promotions which will give them a positive view on handling their stress level.