Laura E. McAndrews1* and Jung E. Ha-Brookshire2  

1Department of Textiles, Merchandising, and Interiors, University of Georgia, USA. 2Department of Textile and Apparel Management, University of Missouri, USA.  

*Corresponding author. E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  

 

The study explored the border management between work and life domains as described by women working in the U.S. fashion industry. Clark’s (2000) work-family border theory lent to the study a framework for how people manage and negotiate their work and family domains and the borders between domains. The interpretation from a qualitative case study approach, which triangulated semi-structured interviews and field observations of five women working in the fashion industry in New York City and Philadelphia revealed two theme categories: (a) grand view triggering events and effects and (b) every day triggering events and effects. Implications derived from the results offer several important opportunities. Corporate human resource departments may want to utilize the study’s findings to cultivate a work environment that may be more sustainable in the long term with reasonable work expectations and more supportive role models.  

 

Key words: Work-life balance, fashion industry, gender roles. 

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