The role of mobile technology on work-family balance in Singapore

• Main Author: Heng, Swan Keng
• Other Authors: Shirley Sun
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2017
• Subjects: DRNTU::Social sciences
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/69993
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

This study adds on to the debate about the role of mobile technology on the work-family balances of Singapore through analyzing the experiences of Singaporean men and women professionals with regards to their usage of mobile technology in their course of work as well as their perceptions of the impacts that mobile technology has on their work-family balances. I draw on in-depth interview data with Singaporeans men and women professionals who are working full-time in their organizations. Through a Foucauldian lens, mobile technology has facilitated the creation of 24/7 employees who has internalized the expectations of the organization. Power through mobile technology has shaped them into becoming self-regulating bodies through the way they structure their work and family priorities. Findings also revealed that the perceptions of these professionals played a role in reproducing the idea of traditional gender roles in the family. Lastly, professionals were aware of their work-family spillovers and thus, were active parties in resisting work intrusion into their family domain. While this study hopes to shed light on how power through mobile technology impacts Singaporeans men and women professionals’ work-family balances, it concludes with a suggestion of how Foucault’s theory can be advanced for future similar studies.