Search

Research on the Career Development of Female University Counselors under "Work-Family" Conflict

Author(s)

Wei Lu*, Hongliang Jiang

Affiliation(s)

Nantong Vocational University, Nantong, Jiangsu, China *Corresponding Author

Abstract

With a series of reforms in the higher education system, the career development of university counselors, as the backbone of students' ideological education, has received considerable attention. While undertaking professional roles, female counselors must also fulfill family role responsibilities, facing unique challenges posed by "work-family" conflict. This paper systematically explores the impact of "work-family" conflict on the career development of female counselors. Furthermore, in response to these impacts, it proposes optimization pathways from three levels: macro-level systemic support, meso-level organizational guarantees, and micro-level personal adjustment. The aim is to promote a balance between career development and family life for female counselors, advance the professionalization and specialization of the female counselor workforce in universities, and better leverage the role of counselors in the "Five-Education Integration" education in universities.

Keywords

Work-Family Conflict; Universities; Female; Counselors; Career Development

References

[1] JIA Feixiang. A Survey Study on the Role Conflict of Female Counselors in Higher Vocational Colleges. Higher Education Journal, 2017, (19): 44 - 46. [2] ZHOU Bin. Exploration on the Path of Reconciling Role Conflict for Female University Counselors in the New Era. Strait Science, 2021, (04): 78 - 81. [3] BAI Haifeng, ZHANG Xiujuan, XIE Xiaofei, et al. A Study on the Relationship between Work-Family Conflict, Social Support, and Well-being of Professional Women. Financial Economy, 2006, (12): 187 - 188. [4] YE Liu. Role Conflict and Adjustment of Female Counselors in Universities. Education Exploration, 2014, (10): 101 - 102. [5] FENG Rongguang. A Survey on the Stress Status and Coping Strategies of Female University Counselors in the New Era----Taking Universities in Guangdong Province as an Example. Education Observation, 2019, 8 (16): 33- 34 + 72. [6] YANG Jilian, JIA Jun, WANG Linlin, et al. Exploration on Strategies for Optimizing the Psychological Resilience of Female Counselors. Journal of Fujian Medical University (Social Science Edition), 2020, 21 (04): 17 - 21. [7] ZHU Shan, WANG Chengshuang, YU Genzhen, HAN Lingzhi, LIN Ti, WANG Zhen. (2025). Current Status and Related Factors of the Impact of Childbirth on the Career Development of Female Nurses. Journal of Nursing, 40 (17), 5 - 8 + 57. [8] MAO Zhuoyan, JI Simin, WAN Linlin. (2025). The Impact of Childbirth on Family-Work Conflict of Childbearing-Age Employees-Based on a Gender Difference Perspective. Population Journal, 47 (05), 5 - 27. [9] YAO Shanji, ZHU Zhenping. (2025). Job Embeddedness and Career Development Anxiety of Young University Teachers: A Moderated Mediation Model. Journal of Huaiyin Normal University (Philosophy and Social Sciences Edition), 47 (04), 360 -3 70 + 431 - 432. [10] TU Jiong, LI Minghui, SHEN Manxuan. (2025). "The Interweaving of Work and Family": A Study on the Careers of Older Female Nurses from a Life Course Perspective. Women's Studies Tribune, (03), 84 - 100.