Balance between Job, Worker Demands and Family Responsibilities of Ever-Married Female Physicians Working at Primary Health Care Centers, Makkah, 2018

Background: For many female physicians, particularly those married, obtaining an acceptable balance between career demands and family life is a difficult challenge. Objectives: determine the influence of career and job demands on family life and vice versa among ever-married female doctors working in primary care in Makkah and discover suggested solutions to create the balance between them to become more comfortable. Subjects and Methods: This study was carried out using a cross-sectional design among a representative sample of female physicians who ever married and currently working in primary health care settings, Makkah. Data were collected through a self-administered questionnaire. It included questions concerning demographic information, family responsibilities, career obligations and obstacles and suggested solution. Results: The study included 149 female physicians. Their age ranged between 25 and 53 years with an arithmetic mean of 33.6 years and standard deviation of 6.7 years. Physicians who did not report negative impact of work on the relationship with spouse or children (p<0.001) and those who had no difficulty in transportation (p=0.005) were more satisfied in balance between career and family life than their counterparts. Physicians` suggested solutions that can offer a balance between their career and family life included mainly providing child healthcare at primary care centers was the commonest reported one (76.5%), offering more days off for maternity (65.1%) and flexibility at work (47%). Conclusion: Unsatisfaction of Saudi female physicians in balancing career and family life is a relatively common problem among those working in primary health care centers in Makkah. However, possible solutions were suggested by physicians