Balancing dreams and duties: Challenge of work life balance for women entrepreneurs

Women entrepreneurs play an essential role in promoting economic growth, generating employment, and contributing to social development. However, managing a business, while fulfilling family and personal responsibilities remains one of their greatest challenges. Work life balance refers to the ability to manage these dual responsibilities effectively, a struggle that becomes more complex when women also serve as mothers, wives, and caregivers.

This challenge is especially visible in Sri Lanka, where traditional gender roles and cultural expectations continue to shape women’s daily lives. Many women operate small and medium enterprises (SMEs), home-based ventures, or informal businesses, where balancing professional and household duties can be overwhelming. When work life balance is poorly managed, it often results in stress, emotional exhaustion, reduced productivity, and strained family relationships. 

These issues affect not only personal wellbeing, but also the long-term success of their businesses.

Although women’s participation in entrepreneurship is increasing, social expectations about household responsibilities remain largely unchanged. In Sri Lanka, women represent more than half of the population, yet only about 30% to 34% participate in the labour force. This indicates a significant gender gap in economic participation. Women entrepreneurs often face unequal domestic workloads, limited access to affordable childcare, and cultural pressure to prioritise family over business. Although SMEs contribute more than half of Sri Lanka’s GDP and provide about 45% of employment, only around one quarter of these businesses are led by women, and many of them operate informally. These conditions, combined with long working hours, financial risks, and difficulties in obtaining loans, often lead to exhaustion and guilt, negatively affecting both wellbeing and business performance.

Despite these challenges, women entrepreneurs continue to find innovative and practical ways to balance their multiple responsibilities. Effective time management, flexible business models, and task delegation both at work and at home, help them maintain control over their commitments. Some women include family members in their business activities, transforming household support into a strategic advantage. Access to affordable childcare and eldercare services could further reduce their workload, allowing them to focus on business growth.  Market-based solutions have also helped women manage competing demands. For example, the growth of ready-to-cook meals, pre-cut vegetables, and home delivery services has reduced time spent on domestic chores, making it easier for women to balance home and work. These innovations not only support working women, but also create new business opportunities, proving that entrepreneurship itself can offer solutions to the work life balance problem.

However, individual effort alone is not enough to overcome these challenges. Families, communities, and policymakers all have important roles to play in supporting women entrepreneurs. Shared household responsibilities and greater family understanding can make a significant difference in women’s ability to succeed. Government initiatives such as flexible financing programs, entrepreneurship training, and childcare support services can help remove structural barriers. Furthermore, promoting gender-sensitive policies and awareness campaigns can help change traditional attitudes that limit women’s participation in the economy.

Improving work life balance for women entrepreneurs is not just a personal or family issue—it is a national economic priority. Supporting women to balance their professional and personal roles enhances wellbeing, boosts productivity, and encourages more women to enter entrepreneurship. 

By empowering women to pursue their dreams without sacrificing their duties, Sri Lanka can create a more inclusive, innovative, and sustainable economy. Helping women entrepreneurs balance these responsibilities is ultimately an investment in the country’s future development and prosperity.

(The author is a final year undergraduate, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Department of Entrepreneurship)