Vol. 14 No. 2 (2026): Business & Management Studies: An International Journal
Articles

Childbearing decisions of women working in the banking sector in Istanbul in the context of work–life imbalance: A qualitative study

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  • Melis Soyer
Melis Soyer
Assist. Prof. Dr., Istanbul Nişantaşı University, Istanbul, Türkiye

Published 2026-06-25

Keywords

  • Work-Life Balance, Female Employees, Fertility Decision, Banking Sector, Career and Family Balance, Work-Family Balance, Management
  • İş-Yaşam Dengesi, Kadın Çalışanlar, Doğurganlık Kararı, Bankacılık Sektörü, Kariyer ve Aile Dengesi,İş-Aile Dengesi, Yönetim

How to Cite

Childbearing decisions of women working in the banking sector in Istanbul in the context of work–life imbalance: A qualitative study. (2026). Business & Management Studies: An International Journal, 14(2), 792-807. https://doi.org/10.15295/bmij.v14i2.2757

Copyright (c) 2026 Melis Soyer

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

Childbearing decisions of women working in the banking sector in Istanbul in the context of work–life imbalance: A qualitative study. (2026). Business & Management Studies: An International Journal, 14(2), 792-807. https://doi.org/10.15295/bmij.v14i2.2757

Abstract

This research aims to examine the attitudes of women working in the banking sector towards having children and childbirth in the context of work-life imbalance. The banking sector significantly affects employees' work-life balance due to its intense pace, long working hours, and high performance expectations. This research examines the effects of these working conditions on female employees' fertility decisions. The study analyses how the workload, career expectations, and organisational working conditions of female employees in the banking sector affect their decisions to have children. The findings show that work-life imbalance can lead to female employees postponing or limiting their decisions to have children. Furthermore, it reveals that support mechanisms in the work environment and organisational policies play a significant role in enabling women to balance family and career. The study was conducted through semi-structured interviews with 12 female bank employees working in different banks in Istanbul. The research aims to contribute to the academic literature by identifying the factors influencing the fertility decisions of women working in the banking sector and to offer suggestions for developing work- family balance policies. In this context, the study presents findings that can contribute to the development of employee-friendly practices by institutions and the creation of sustainable policies that consider the societal demographic structure.

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