A Comparative Approach on Gender Variants in Psychological Well-Being and Balance between Life and Work across Working Professionals in Malawi

Abstract

Research suggests that improving the balance between a work-life and life outside work can bring real benefits for employers and employees. In a society filled with conflicting responsibilities and commitments, work/life balance has become a predominant issue in the workplace (Dhas, 2015). Mental health conditions (MHC) or psychological well-being are viewed as a global challenge (Mohan & Lone, 2021). The aim of this research is to compare the gender differences between psychological well-being and work-life balance among working professionals in Malawi. Malawi is among the poorest countries as of 2023. The COVID pandemic worsened socioeconomic issues, mental health, well-being challenges, and substance use issues, which is a concerning burden on Malawi’s already weak mental health system (Jumbe et al., 2022). This cross-section study research was done on 100 working professionals aged 25-35 years, where 50 were males and 50 were females. The research was done by administering an online Google form. The interview questions were adapted from Ryff Psychological Well-being Scale with 18 items and Work-Life Balance Inventory with a 15-item scale adapted by Hayman. Data were analysed using Scientific Package for Social Scientists (SPSS) version 20. Frequencies and Data on hypotheses were tested using the independent samples t-test and Pearson product-moment correlation. There are no significant gender differences in Psychological Well-Being and Work-Life Balance among professional employees in Malawi. As per the results, this study concludes that psychological well-being and work-life balance is not dominantly and significantly affected by gender of professional workers. This indicates that both male and female employees have fair and equal opportunities to manage their personal and professional commitments, as well as fostering positive psychological well-being.