Work–Life Balance for Female Employees in the Advertising–Marketing Sector: The Influence of AI Use

In knowledge-based organizations, employee satisfaction, loyalty, and work–life balance are closely linked. Advertising–marketing organizations rely on the involvement and expertise of highly qualified professionals. An additional challenge is gender inequality: women allocate more time to unpaid domestic work, which affects their participation in the labor market and their professional development. The objective of our qualitative research, conducted through semi-structured interviews, was to identify the work–life balance of female employees in advertising–marketing and the effects of AI use on it. Between February and April 2025, ten non-managerial female employees and five female managers from various organizations were interviewed. Findings showed that work–life balance in the advertising–marketing sector represented a major challenge for employees, regardless of hierarchical position, and that this balance varied depending on periods of intense activity and personal responsibilities. Both non-managerial employees and their managers face a high workload and the difficulty of disconnecting from professional tasks during personal time. A common point is that both groups considered schedule flexibility and company support essential for managing time effectively. A notable difference between employees and managers is the amount of personal time sacrificed: while non-managerial employees report that it is rare for them to sacrifice family or personal time, managers are forced to do so much more frequently, working overtime almost daily and being contacted often outside working hours, an indication of the additional pressure and responsibilities associated with leadership positions. The integration of AI into the work of advertising professionals has reduced the time allocated to repetitive tasks; however, these benefits are diminished by performance pressure and expectations of constant connectivity, if organizations do not establish clear policies regarding AI use and the protection of employees’ personal time.