The interplay between emotional labour and work-family balance among black women nurses in Johannesburg

Abstract

Abstract: Nurses are essential to health care system in South Africa. They ensure that patients receive healing through the provision of health care. Nurses working in the South African public health care system face many challenges including poor practice environments, poor working conditions, lack of resources and staff shortages. Additionally, they are exposed to diseases and they experience traumatic events at work, for example the death of patients. As a result, nurses experience emotional exhaustion more than other professions. Along with dealing with the emotional encounters they experience at work nurses have families who also demand emotional support from them as well. These work and home demands require nurses to strike a difficult work life balance. Using a qualitative approach, this study aimed to understand the interplay between emotional labour and work family balance among Black women nurses in Johannesburg. The study findings indicate that emotional labour impacts on nurses’ ability to deal with home related stresses and leads to an imbalance as work drains their ability effectively deal with family demands. In the same view, this lack of balance is visible in their quality of life and their low job satisfaction and 'ineffective' patient care...M.A. (Social Science