Duygu Şallı
In today’s fast-paced and highly competitive academic environment, increasing professional demands often overshadow personal life, rendering work-life balance a critical challenge for faculty members. This study aims to examine the work-life balance levels of academicians and investigate how these levels vary according to selected demographic variables. A quantitative survey design was employed to provide a comprehensive description of the current state of work-life balance within the higher education sector. Data were collected from a diverse sample of 503 academicians working at various universities across Türkiye using the "Work-Life Balance Scale." The findings indicate that dimensions of work-life harmony and self-allocation differ significantly by gender, with female academicians reporting higher levels of conflict due to traditional role expectations. Furthermore, the results reveal that work-oriented life significantly varies according to marital status; married academicians exhibit higher levels of work-life interference compared to their single colleagues. Overall, the results suggest that work-life balance among academicians is shaped not only by individual career choices but also by societal role expectations and life-course-related responsibilities. The study underscores the urgent need for higher education institutions to adopt inclusive, flexible, and gender-sensitive policies. Implementing such structural changes is essential to mitigate burnout and support sustainable academic careers in the post-pandemic era.