Family Attitudes towards Women's Employment and Work–life Balance among Frontline Working Women in Sylhet City, Bangladesh: A Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

Women working in frontline sectors struggle to balance professional and family responsibilities, especially in places where traditional gender roles are still strong. However, there is limited evidence on family attitudes towards women’s employment and work–life balance in Bangladesh. This study investigated factors related to women’s reported perceptions of positive family attitudes towards their employment and evaluated their work–life balance in Sylhet city. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 120 working women in banking, nursing, and university teaching, with 40 respondents purposively selected from each sector. Data were collected from October to December 2025 through face-to-face interviews using a semi-structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression were used in the analysis. Significant associations were identified between women’s perceptions of positive family attitudes towards their employment and age, educational level, family type, working environment, salary, financial contribution to the family, cultural barriers, and childcare management. Older age was associated with lower odds of reporting a positive family attitude (OR = 0.95), whereas higher education (graduate or higher) was associated with higher odds (OR = 3.15). The likelihood of reporting a positive family attitude was lower among those from joint families than those from nuclear families (OR = 0.39), while a positive working environment was associated with higher odds (OR = 2.31). Rigid traditional cultural rules were associated with lower odds of reporting a positive family attitude (OR = 0.30). Emotional exhaustion had the highest mean score (3.56 ± 1.24), whereas perceived supervisory consideration had the lowest mean score (2.29 ± 1.20) for work–family balance. More than half of the respondents reported working extra hours (51.6%), that job-related stress affected household and family responsibilities (53.4%), and that it was difficult to take leave during personal or family crises (52.5%). Overall, the findings indicate that family and workplace circumstances are important for women's employment experiences and work–family balance. Supportive family settings, flexible work options, reasonable workloads, adequate leave arrangements, and access to childcare can contribute to more positive conditions for women in frontline sectors.