Occupational Stress, Life Satisfaction, and Work-Life Balance: Understanding the Rural-Urban Context of Working Women

Background: Working women face the dual burden of professional and domestic responsibilities, which influence their occupational stress, work-life balance, and life satisfaction. In India, these experiences differ across rural and urban contexts due to socio-cultural and economic factors. Method: A cross-sectional, comparative study was conducted among 300 women teachers in Bihar (148 rural, 152 urban) using purposive sampling. Standardized tools included the Work-Life Balance Scale (Pareek & Purohit, 2010), Occupational Stress Index (Srivastava & Singh, 1981), and Life Satisfaction Scale (Anand, 2015). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-tests, and Pearson’s correlations. Results: Urban teachers reported significantly higher occupational stress (M = 135.53) than rural teachers (M = 116.15). Rural teachers showed higher work-life balance (M = 88.97) and greater life satisfaction (M = 22.66) compared to urban teachers (M = 83.28; M = 21.36). Differences were also observed in subdimensions of work-life balance, notably compensation and benefits, favoring rural women. Conclusion: Findings indicate that urban women experience greater occupational stress, whereas rural women demonstrate better work-life balance and life satisfaction. These results highlight the importance of socio-cultural context in shaping women’s well-being and call for context-specific interventions in both rural and urban settings.