Abstract:
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, balancing work and family life becomes more challenging,
putting women, particularly working mothers, in a vulnerable situation. Carrying out domestic
responsibilities is already exhausting, and being compelled to handle it alongside job tasks inside
the home adds a double burden for women. The distinct COVID-19 response in the Philippines
calls for a contextualized understanding of their lived experiences. The purpose of this study is to
determine the shared experiences of working mothers balancing work and family life in the
context of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the positive and negative impact they
encountered, and to learn their coping strategies for fulfilling their work responsibilities and
motherhood. A phenomenological approach was utilized to comprehend the lived experiences of
working mothers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The data were collected using a snowball
sampling strategy through individual in-depth interviews with semi-structured questions.
Thematic analysis was employed to generate the needed results from the research data. Among
the emerging themes are the mother's everyday routine, the age of their children, the dynamics of
their jobs, time management, a lack of working space, having no choice, a closer relationship
with their children, the help of family and relatives, personal time, and fulfillment when work
and family life balance is achieved. This study recommends the government strengthen social
protection measures and enact policies that would alleviate the double burden of working
mothers. The general public is also encouraged to share their knowledge of working mothers'
experiences to echo the call for equal distribution of unpaid work at the family level.
Furthermore, future researchers are recommended to conduct similar studies in different parts of
the country and explore other variables such as age, educational attainment, economic status, etc.
