Struggles of Women Teachers: A Narrative Inquiry

Abstract

Women teachers struggle to fit into their family responsibilities and the workplace; often, they cannot perform well while trying to balance both. Against this backdrop, this study aims to explore the experiences of women teachers to understand their professional struggles in their workplace. It is a qualitative study, where I purposively selected four women teachers from Far-West (Kailali) as my research participants. They teach in private and public schools. I interviewed them to collect the information required for this study. Simultaneously, I recorded and transcribed the data, then coded, categorized, and thematized them as patterns emerged. The study indicates the gender discrimination in the workplace and home of women teachers and the difficulty for them to balance their work life and responsibilities at home. The findings reveal that most women teachers have left their jobs to look after their families and children, and after a few years of gap, they struggle to find a job. A flexible policy can help women teachers sustain themselves in teaching jobs.