Outline of a Theory of “Work-Life Balance”: How Multiple Fields Structure the Family-Employment-Leisure Nexus

Abstract

The phenomena going under the label of “work-life balance” (WLB) are crucial for understanding not only major pressures weighing on people’s well-being and choices but also the very organization and negotiation of everyday life. Despite being heavily researched, however, WLB is surprisingly undertheorized within sociology. This article attempts to redress the situation by proposing a robust and multilayered sociological model capable of explaining its genesis, experience, and variations. I first deconstruct the commonsense notion of WLB, recasting it as a family-employment-leisure nexus, and specify its elements. Next, I flag the limits of current conceptualizations of WLB and turn to Bourdieu’s field theory for solutions. I go beyond Bourdieu, however, by modeling more precisely how multiple fields interact to shape the demands, dispositions, and desires of everyday experience. I develop a series of concepts and distinctions to that end and finish with a sketch of research possibilities.