I first took interest in the subject of work-life balance during the pandemic when everyone was forced to work from home. It was only then that I felt the pressing concern that my household tasks were interfering with my studies. On top of that, several courses in my studies also started to shed some light on the topic - again, only recently during the pandemic. As a university student who's still financially living off her parents, work-life balance was merely contextualized as "taking classes while still being pestered with chores". As it turns out, what I came to realize was only the tip of the iceberg.
When we talk about work-life balance, what I initially envisioned was a corporate worker having difficulties in sparing some time for other activities outside of their job. This is such a common misconception because that itself is a very exclusive mindset. I've only started questioning the subject recently and wish I did it sooner. What about low-waged jobs? Informal jobs? Unpaid work? Are we going to disregard them all? What if one simply can't afford to take fewer hours? Well, I'll leave that to firm executives and policymakers to address. One thing's for sure, the majority of us are looking at work-life balance from the wrong angle.
The problem is not having enough time but rather money, making the subject quite exclusive. A large proportion of our population is still struggling to make ends meet. I know many people whose parents were not present enough because they're working hard(er) to give a better life for their children. People need leisure time, that's non-debatable. Numerous studies have called attention to the importance of keeping a balance between work and other activities outside its scope but it fails to highlight the most pressing concern. What about those who can't afford to have a work-life balance?
