Institutional pressures for work-life balance

As a result of social and political changes, institutional pressures on employers to achieve a work-life balance in the Spanish context have been intensified. This article analyzes how institutional pressures related to the work-life balance are perceived by organizations and relates these pressures to directors' personal variables, such as position, gender, age, marital status, number of under-age children and dependants, and the sector in which the organization operates. Institutional Theory is used to identify the type of perceived pressure, and the Upper Echelons Theory is used to explain different perceptions of these institutional pressures according to directors' personal variables. The results obtained confirm the existence of these pressures and that gender, marital status and position are important factors. The results also reflect the influence of sector on perception of institutional pressures. (C) 2010 ACEDE. Published by Elsevier Espana, S.L. All rights reserved.