‘It’s kind of expected that the woman does everything’: anticipated work-family conflict among South African Hindu women

Anticipated work-family conflict (AWFC) is a growing concern among young women, particularly those negotiating traditional gendered expectations within collectivist cultural settings. This study delves into the complexities of how young Hindu women in South Africa – frequently positioned as primary caregivers in both familial and religious frameworks – anticipate and navigate future tensions between work and caregiving responsibilities. Drawing on in-depth semi-structured interviews with ten participants, we explore how these women make sense of their career aspirations amid normative gendered scripts, within a ‘post’-colonial South African context marked by both gendered care burdens and evolving professional opportunities. Thematic analysis revealed three interrelated themes that encapsulate their lived realities: (1) Hindu Women’s Work-Family Paradox, (2) Breaking Barriers: Hindu Women’s Work-Family Coping Strategies, and (3) Hindu Women: Harnessing Community to Combine Work and Family. These findings advance understanding of the anticipatory dimensions of work-family conflict in underrepresented cultural contexts and offer practical implications for organisational policy and practice aimed at promoting more equitable and inclusive workplace cultures.