Management & Economics Research Journal ISSN 2710-8856 (Online) ISSN 2676-184X (Print) Vol. 5 No. 1 (2023): March, pp. 106-126 https://doi.org/10.48100/merj.2023.302 Faculty of Economics, Commercial & Management Sciences, Ziane Achour University of Djelfa, BP 3117, Djelfa - Algeria 106 www.mer-j.com Work-life Balance and Organisational Commitment among Married Female Nurses Alaa S. Jameel♦1 , Ahmed S. Alheety2 1Department of Public Administration, Cihan University-Erbil, Kurdistan Region (Iraq)  alaa.salam@cihanuniversity.edu.iq 2Department of Business Administration, Arts, Sciences and Technology, University In Lebanon (Lebanon)  Ahmedalheety411@gmail.com Published online: 01 -03-2023 Accepted: 27 -02 -2023 Received: 19-01-2023 How to Cite: Jameel, A. S., & Alheety, A. S. (2023). Work-life Balance and Organisational Commitment among Married Female Nurses. Management & Economics Research Journal, 5(1), 106-126. https://doi.org/10.48100/merj.2023.302 Abstract: This study aims to measure the work-life balance (WLB) and the performance of married female nurses and examine the mediating role of organisational commitment. The current research considers a cross-sectional survey among married female nurses in Iraqi public hospitals. The questionnaires collected the data, and the valid questionnaires were 219 and analysed by Smart-PLS after ensuring the validity and reliability of the model. The results indicated that the WLB of married female nurses significantly impacts their performance and commitment. Furthermore, the commitment of married female nurses significantly impacts their performance and simultaneously partially mediates the relation between the WLB and the performance of married female nurses. Regulating workloads and fostering a pleasant work environment are crucial to lowering job-related stress from ♦Corresponding author: Department of Public Administration, Cihan University-Erbil, Kurdistan Region (Iraq). [ alaa.salam@cihanuniversity.edu.iq] ©2023 the Author(s). This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of (CC BY-NC 4.0) which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited and is not used for commercial purposes. https://doi.org/10.48100/merj.2023.302 http://www.mer-j.com/ https://mer-j.com/merj/index.php/merj https://mer-j.com/merj/index.php/merj https://crossmark.crossref.org/dialog/?doi=10.48100/merj.2023.302&domain=pdf&date_stamp=2023-03-02 mailto:alaa.salam@cihanuniversity.edu.iq mailto:Ahmedalheety411@gmail.com https://doi.org/10.48100/merj.2023.302 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/legalcode https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3189-1961 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4631-6567 pp. 106-126 Vol. 5 No. 1 (2023) Management & Economics Research Journal 107 excessive workloads. Creating a timetable for married female nurses is crucial to improving their work and personal performance. Keywords: Employee Performance, Work-Life Balance, Organizational Commitment, Female Nurses, Hospital. JEL Codes: C83, I12, M12, M54. 1. Introduction Nowadays, many employees struggle to balance work and family life due to all the organisations facing a highly competitive environment. Despite the prevalence of WLB among employees and organisations, relatively few people have come up with an agreeable definition for this term. WLB does not imply an equal distribution of tasks; instead, it refers to altering work schedules to allow workers to combine work with additional responsibilities like looking after small children or elderly relatives. (Mendis and Weerakkody, 2017). An organisation must find and maintain valuable employees in a competitive market. It effectively drives improved organisational action and comprehension in controlling and implementing WLB solutions. Governments, scholars, management, employee groups, and the general public are paying more and more attention to WLB, a crucial area of human resource management (Koon, 2022; Sheikh, 2022). Workplace stress has been found to harm productivity and frequently causes staff to perform less well. Female nurses experience considerable stress due to long hours, a heavy workload, and work-family conflict. Sundari et al. (2022) emphasised that a barrier to women's professional engagement and success in the healthcare sector is the prevalent and rigid culture of long working hours, leading to increased work-family conflict. In workplaces where women are the majority, like hospitals, work-life balance affects nurses' performance (Karem et al., 2019). Additionally, previous studies reported WLB and organisational commitment (OC) as essential to enhancing employee performance (EP) (Mendis and Weerakkody, 2017; Talukder, Vickers and Khan, 2018; Oyewobi et al., 2019; Sundari et al., 2022). The number of patients receiving care has risen during the pandemic, especially during the COVID-19 epidemic. However, nurses have their personal and family lives. Working long hours during the pandemic led to fewer hours for their personal and family lives. Iraq is one of the most important countries among Middle East countries, with a population of approximately 40 million (Worldometers, 2022). However, the country has had a continually complicated past throughout the previous four decades. Since 1988, Iraq's healthcare system has suffered different challenges, such as the war from 1980 to 1988, the gulf Work-life Balance and Organisational Commitment among Married Female Nurses Jameel, A S., & Alheety, A. S. 108 war in 1990, civil displacement, and recently, the war against IS. The motivation behind this study is to improve the performance of nurses in Iraqi hospitals and determine the factors that lead to enhanced performance, such as WLB and OC. The current study focuses on hospital nurses' performance because of their crucial responsibilities in addressing individuals' health issues, such as COVID-19 and Iraq war injuries. Furthermore, the connection between WLB, OC, and EP has been disregarded among nurses in Iraq. Even though nurses at Iraqi hospitals exhibit a high degree of OC (Karem et al., 2019), the relationship between WLB and EP has not been thoroughly examined in the empirical literature in Iraq. Therefore, it is also unknown if WLB and OC can encourage nurses working in Iraqi hospitals to improve their performance. This study seeks to answer several proposed questions: (1) Does WLB impact married female nurses' performance? (2) Does WLB impact married female nurses' OC? (3) Does OC impact Iraqi female nurses' performance? (4) Does OC mediate the relationship between OC and married female nurses' performance? Hence, The aims of this study are to (1) examine the impact of WLB on OC and married female nurses' performance. (2) examine the impact of OC on married female nurses' performance. Finally, (3) examine the mediating role of OC between the WLB and married female nurses' performance. First, an explanation of the topic in light of the current literature should be made in clear and precise terms, as if the reader is completely ignorant. In this section, the establishment of a warm rapport between the reader and the manuscript is aimed. Updated and robust information should be presented in the Introduction section. 2. Literature review 2.1. Work-life balance Since the beginning of the second decade of the twentieth century, the idea of work-life balance has been understood. For both men and women, the world of work is essential, as is family space, which is equally crucial. Since it might have either positive or negative effects on the organisation, WLB is more highly appreciated in organisations (Kim, 2014). As a result, it's important to fulfil one's commitments both at home and at work. To achieve WLB among employees in firms, flexible work schedules, including flexible work locations and hours, are essential (Mazerolle and Goodman, 2013)Mazerolle and Goodman (2013). WLB refers to maintaining equal health in one's career and personal pp. 106-126 Vol. 5 No. 1 (2023) Management & Economics Research Journal 109 life (Sundari et al., 2022). WLB encompasses more than just childcare and family life. The idea isn't to work less, either. The key is to work wisely. This relates to having enough energy to give your career and home your all without sacrificing (Mendis and Weerakkody, 2017). According to Rodríguez-Sánchez et al. (2020), Employees may access flexible working techniques that reduce stress, fatigue, and conflict by promoting work-life balance. Additionally, it implies higher levels of dedication on the part of the business, which boosts production rates and saves recruitment costs due to a lower staff turnover rate. So, implementing work-life regulations might be a possible HR retention tactic for valued and competent HR personnel. WLB shows how much time is available for a person to balance the needs of family and work. It also relates to how much time a person spends on work and family (Koon, 2022). It is believed that striking a balance between an individual's career and personal obligations is crucial for a business to develop and succeed since doing otherwise can lead to stress, negative work behaviours, and burnout. Work-life balance is a beneficial technique that benefits the company and the personnel. Individuals gain in that they experience less stress and are happy at work and home. Additionally, more individuals can access paid employment (Mendis and Weerakkody, 2017). Additionally, the study has shown that a WLB mismatch has serious consequences, including low productivity (Konrad and Mangel, 2000), poor employee performance (Mendis and Weerakkody, 2017), and low organisational performance (Oyewobi et al., 2019). 2.2. Organisational commitment A feeling of shared goals and principles is typically a prerequisite for organisational commitment. A successful corporation is defined by increasing employee competency and fostering employee commitment to the business (Jameel, Mahmood and Jwmaa, 2020). OC is described as a worker's conduct when participating in the organisation (Sundari et al., 2022). This relationship can be conscious, logical, subconscious, irrational, passionate, or hybrid (Jameel, Mahmood and Jwmaa, 2020). Significantly committed workers will feel like they belong to the company, be engaged in their commitment, and be dependable and helpful (Sundari et al., 2022). Commitment and effort are required for an organisation to succeed. OC is the most important factor in determining how well people do their jobs, how they act, and what they value. It is also the key to keeping their loyalty (Popoola and Fagbola, 2021). Work-life Balance and Organisational Commitment among Married Female Nurses Jameel, A S., & Alheety, A. S. 110 Individuals' sense of responsibility to their company is what drives it forward. Organisational commitment is crucial for determining how much an individual contributes to a business. But, according to Massoudi et al. (2020), it is an emotional reaction that may be gauged by looking at how individuals act and what they believe. Meyer et al. (1991) mentioned in the theory of OC that this element consists of three components: "affective, continuance, and normative commitment". The individual's emotional connection to their workplace is described as affective commitment (Meyer, Bobocel and Allen, 1991). Individuals' motivation to stay with a company is explained by their affective commitment, which grows as they become more emotionally bonded to the company's aims and values (Allen and Meyer, 1996)(Oyewobi et al., 2019). Affective commitment is regarded as the main motivator for getting staff to help enhance the performance of their organisations (Meyer et al., 1989). When individuals emotionally commit to a workplace, completely accept its aims and principles, and feel personally accountable for its success, this is known as affective commitment (Massoudi, Jameel and Ahmad, 2020). An individual's view of the probable danger and expenses involved with leaving their existing organisation is explained by continuity commitment (Meyer, Bobocel and Allen, 1991). A continuation commitment is when people relate to an organisation based on what they receive in return for their work and what they would lose if they stopped (Jameel, Mahmood and Jwmaa, 2020). Randeree and Ghaffar Chaudhry (2012) it has been observed that the fundamental component of commitment in different explanations pertains to employees' wishes to stay with their companies or their resistance to leaving their companies for justifiable personal gain. Normative commitment occurs when individuals continue with a company because that's what others do or society expects. Similar attitudes and actions are frequently shown by those with an affective commitment (Jameel, Mahmood and Jwmaa, 2020; Popoola and Fagbola, 2021). 2.3. Employee performance The term "performance" refers to the ability to be innovative, inspiring, and motivating, as well as a factor in achieving corporate goals. Additionally, individual performance has drawn much scholarly interest (Jameel and Ahmad, 2019). It is a result that an individual generates in exchange for particular concrete and intangible rewards. In this regard, studies show that individuals who participate more in decision-making are more productive than those who pp. 106-126 Vol. 5 No. 1 (2023) Management & Economics Research Journal 111 do not (Jameel and Ahmad, 2020). EP increases due to an increased sense of authority and a stronger connection with participation in decision-making (Soomro, Breitenecker and Shah, 2018). EP stands for Aligning company goals with agreed-upon performance standards, skill and competency requirements, employee development programs, and outcomes delivery is what this process is all about (Mendis and Weerakkody, 2017). The term "performance" refers to the ability to be innovative, inspiring, and motivating, as well as a factor in achieving corporate goals. Additionally, individual performance has drawn much scholarly interest (Jameel and Ahmad, 2019). A company's fundamental goal is to achieve high-performance levels, which highly depends on EP (Jameel and Ahmad, 2020; Silva, Moreira and Mota, 2022). Within that context, a company's competitive edge is mainly derived from its human capital (Campbell, Coff and Kryscynski, 2012). EP is a function of how well or poorly an organisation does at its task (Wiradendi Wolor et al., 2020). For organisational sustainability, management uses performance as a critical tool to communicate the objectives and standards and inspire future individual performance (Jameel and Ahmad, 2020). Employee performance is the capacity to do a task more successfully than was anticipated (Qureshi et al., 2011). EP is a level of accomplishment that occurs when a company employee completes a task allocated to them. Three key aspects significantly impact an employee's performance in an organisation: organisational support, managerial skills, and the overall work performance of everyone employed by that firm (Rachman, 2021). In addition, some people are used in each organisational unit's several divisions (Raewf and Thabit, 2015). 2.4. WLB and performance Much research in the organisational and behavioural sciences shows that work-life imbalance decreases productivity and performance degradation (Konrad and Mangel, 2000; Soomro, Breitenecker and Shah, 2018; Al-Alawi et al., 2021). Most research finds that work-life imbalance harms work attitudes and is a possible source of stress (Mendis and Weerakkody, 2017; Soomro, Breitenecker and Shah, 2018; Oyewobi et al., 2019; Sundari et al., 2022). The mismatch between work and life has also decreased work commitment, resulting in low productivity and performance (Konrad and Mangel, 2000). Finding a balance between work and family requires effort to reduce conflict intensity, so it doesn't become a constant source of stress. This will result in low performance and careless work behaviours (Jameel and Ahmad, 2019). Work-life Balance and Organisational Commitment among Married Female Nurses Jameel, A S., & Alheety, A. S. 112 Flexible work schedules and other WLB practices have positively affected the workplace, including increased organisational commitment and performance (Koon, 2022). Dedicated personnel are needed to maintain good organisational performance in today's turbulent work environments. Still, greater demands are also placed on them to balance their personal and professional lives (Sheikh, 2022). Additionally, research has revealed an increasing work-life imbalance among employees, particularly those with many responsibilities (Roberts, 2007), ultimately reducing OC (Arif and Farooqi, 2014). Employers may benefit from stronger WLB by having a more engaged, effective, and less stressed workforce and through higher performance, productivity, and decreased absenteeism (Mendis and Weerakkody, 2017). A study conducted among Saudi Arabian teachers showed that females believe the WLB can improve their performance and statistically has a significant role (Al-Alawi et al., 2021). While similar results were found among the female nurses in Indonesia, the nurses confirmed that the WLB enhanced their performance and had a significant statistical value (Sundari et al., 2022). Another study conducted in Indonesia showed that WLB improves EP and has significant value among employees in construction companies (Prasetya and Natalia, 2020). In Pakistan, Soomro reported the WLB is essential for academic staff performance, and the WLB has significant value on EP (Soomro, Breitenecker and Shah, 2018). In Sri Lanka and among the married employees in the telecommunication sector Mendis and Weerakkody (2017) reported the employees believed the WLB was intensely vital to their performance. Lastly, Oyewobi et al. (2019) reported that the females working in Nigerian construction organisations emphasise that the WLB can improve their performance. H1: WLB has a positive and significant impact on EP. 2.5. WLB and OC Based on the social exchange theory, trust-based duties will eventually result in goodwill behaviour (Blau, 1964). It is based on the reciprocity principle, which holds that individuals should benefit those who have helped them and not harm those who have done so. The "social exchange theory" and the norm of reciprocity argue that when individuals encounter WLB, reciprocity should be considered regarding WLB practices. For example, employees attain WLB with the help of a pp. 106-126 Vol. 5 No. 1 (2023) Management & Economics Research Journal 113 helpful boss and a business that adopts family-friendly policies. Employees are more likely to show commitment to the organisation when they believe their manager or employer has played a vital role in helping them reach a WLB (Talukder, Vickers and Khan, 2018). When individuals believe the assistance is designed to improve their personal life, WLB practices are considered good (Koon, 2022). Individuals' sense of loyalty to their workplace is increased by the WLB experience, which improves affective commitment. When organisations provide individuals with possibilities that make them want to stay in the workplace and give their all to increase performance, this is known as affective commitment (Allen and Meyer, 1996). When individuals feel that their managers care about their well-being through official or informal support for WLB activities, this could lead to pleasant emotions and strengthen their commitment to the workplace (Koon, 2022). Although WLB methods are crucial, they might not be sufficient to solve issues like organisational commitment and employee motivation. In the past, justifications for implementing HR practices have been disregarded (Woodrow and Guest, 2014). Prior research has downplayed the significance of examining the interaction between an organisation and its employees in relation to WLB (Nijp et al., 2012). Organisations use WLB policies to improve OC and decrease stress since they are thought to impact OC (Sheikh, 2022). WLB is a critical factor in determining an employee's commitment is how they see the relationship between their professional and personal lives. Several previous studies reported WLB's statistical impact on OC in contexts including hospitals nurses (Sundari et al., 2022), the telecommunication sector (Mendis and Weerakkody, 2017), Library staff (Popoola and Fagbola, 2021), banking employees (Sheikh, 2022), construction organisations (Oyewobi et al., 2019), financial organisations (Talukder, Vickers and Khan, 2018), and academic staff (Harini et al., 2020) (Mabaso and Dlamini, 2018). H2: WLB has a positive and significant impact on OC. 2.6. OC and performance As per the theory of social exchange (Blau, 1964), individuals might strengthen their ties to their employers in return for their employers' support of their family lives (Meyer, Bobocel and Allen, 1991). Employees committed to their companies are defined as devoted and effective team players who share their aims and beliefs (Silva, Moreira and Mota, 2022). Work-life Balance and Organisational Commitment among Married Female Nurses Jameel, A S., & Alheety, A. S. 114 According to Mowday et al. (1982), the form of commitment that develops includes passive loyalty and the interaction between individuals and an organisation, including a willingness to work to further the company's objectives. Committed employees will be aware of and identify with the organisation they work for, take their work seriously, be loyal, and have a favourable attitude towards it (Karem et al., 2019). This person will act in a way that will aid the organisation in achieving its objectives and demonstrate a long-term commitment to the group (Hendri, 2019). This showed how organisational commitment and performance are related. Employee commitment may be characterised as their level of dependability concerning their position or performance. Committed workers are likelier to remain with their companies and put in more effort to meet their objectives. On the other hand, uncommitted or less committed employees are less excited about staying with a firm and, as a result, are less motivated to achieve organisational goals (Karem et al., 2019). Empirically, The OC can increase nurses' performance and has a statistical value (Sundari et al., 2022). Another study was conducted among the employees in 10 different organisations in Ghana, and the results showed that OC statistically increased the EP (Donkor, Dongmei and Sekyere, 2021). In Nigeria, the females working in construction organisations believe the OC can improve their performance (Oyewobi et al., 2019). Talukder et al. (2018) reported that financial organisations employees confirm that OC enhances their performance. Lastly, the study was conducted among hotel employees, and the results reported that the OC improves the EP and a significant empirical value (Putra and Putra, 2022). H3: OC has a positive and significant impact on EP. 2.7. The mediating role of organisational commitment Several previous studies adopted organisational commitment as a mediator between different variables. Table 1 shows the OC as a mediator in other contexts. There is a lack of prior studies examining the mediating effect of OC on the relationship between LWB and EP in the Iraqi healthcare system, particularly among married female nurses. We believe that unless we look at the function of mediating the role of OC, the direct impacts of the WLB on employee performance may not provide a more precise understanding. Organisational commitment is a vital staff factor, whereas a highly committed individual aligns with the aims and values of the company, yearns to be a part of it, and is willing to go above and beyond the call of responsibility (Donkor, pp. 106-126 Vol. 5 No. 1 (2023) Management & Economics Research Journal 115 Dongmei and Sekyere, 2021). H4: OC mediates the link between WLB and EP. Table 1. Summary of organisational commitment as a mediator IV ME DV Context Country Reference WLB OC Female nurses' performance Hospital Sri Lanka (Mendis and Weerakkody, 2017) Learning organisation OC EP Company Indonesia (Hendri, 2019) WLB OC JP financial industry Australia (Talukder, Vickers and Khan, 2018) WLB OC Organisational Performance female construction professionals Nigeria (Oyewobi et al., 2019) WLB OC Turnover intention private college Indonesia (Harini et al., 2020) WLB Job commitment Job Satisfaction public transportation company India (Aruldoss et al., 2022) 2. Methodology The current study considers a cross-sectional survey among married female nurses in Iraqi public hospitals. The study employed the quantitative method, with data collected via a questionnaire from female nurses in Iraqi public hospitals in Baghdad, the country's capital city. The reason behind choosing Baghdad is that most public hospitals are in this city, with 49 hospitals representing 17% of public hospitals in Iraq (MOH, 2022). The questionnaire was distributed by self-administered among the married female nurses from December 2021 to March 2022. Four hundred questionnaires were distributed among married female nurses in Baghdad hospitals, and 287 questionnaires were returned. However, after conducting the data screening for outliers and missing values, 219 questionnaires were valid for analysis. The Smart-PLS ran the valid data to ensure the validity, reliability, and hypotheses measurement. All the construct items have been adopted from previous studies, and the questionnaire was written in two languages English as the original items and Arabic to be more understandable by respondents. This questionnaire was sent to 7 experts from public universities and medical universities. Only four experts responded, and we considered all the comments and suggestions to improve the questionnaire. The number of items and the references for each Work-life Balance and Organisational Commitment among Married Female Nurses Jameel, A S., & Alheety, A. S. 116 construct is depicted in Table 2. However, the questionnaire was measured by a five-point Likert scale. 3. Results 3.1. Personal information Table 2 depicts most of the nurse's age who participated in this study were between 40 to 49 years old, 57%, while 30% were between 20 to 29 years, 10 % of nurses age were above 50 years old, and lastly, only 4% of nurses were between 20 to 29 years old. Regarding the education level of female nurses, 50 % hold a diploma; close to this, 48% hold a Bachelor's degree, and only 2% hold a Master's degree. Most of the working experience nurses have from 6 to 10 years. 56% had working experience at hospitals, 31% had experience from 1 year to 5 years, while above ten years of working experience, 10% and only 3% had less than one year of working experience. Table 2. Personal information Variable N % Age 20 to 29 8 4% 30 to 39 66 30% 40 to 49 124 57% Above 50 21 10% Total 219 100% Education Diploma 109 50% Bachelor 105 48% Master 5 2% Total 219 100% Working experience Less than one year 7 3% 1- 5 years 67 31% 6-10 years 123 56% Above ten years 22 10% Total 219 100% 3.2. Measurement model In this stage, the aim is to assess the loadings of the items. According to Hair et al. (2019), the loadings items should be 0.7 and above. Additionally, based on Table 3 and figure 1, all the items loading showed above 0.7 except WLB1 was less than 0.7 and has been removed. pp. 106-126 Vol. 5 No. 1 (2023) Management & Economics Research Journal 117 The reliability was assessed by Cronbach's alpha (CA) and composite reliability (CR) both these criteria should be 0.7 or above (Hair et al., 2019). Based on Table 3, all the Constructs CA and CR showed higher than 0.70; thus, there is no issue in model reliability. The convergent validity was assessed by average variance extracted (AVE). The cut-off level of this measurement is 0.5 and above. Hence, based on Table 3, the AVE constructs above 0.5, thus no issue in this step. Table 3. Construct reliability and validity Construct Outer loadings CA CR AVE Source EP EP1 EP2 EP3 EP4 EP5 EP6 0.757 0.826 0.736 0.749 0.860 0.836 0.885 0.912 0.633 (Hendri, 2019; Oyewobi et al., 2019) OC OC1 OC2 OC3 OC4 OC5 OC6 0.926 0.929 0.910 0.872 0.907 0.894 0.957 0.965 0.822 (Hendri, 2019; Oyewobi et al., 2019) WLB WLB2 WLB3 WLB4 WLB5 WLB6 WLB7 WLB8 0.862 0.850 0.859 0.881 0.856 0.864 0.855 0.942 0.952 0.741 (Oyewobi et al., 2019; Popoola and Fagbola, 2021) After ensuring reliability and validity, the next step is to assess the discriminant validity of the model using the heterotrait-monotrait ratio (HTMT), which should be less than 0.9 (Hair et al., 2019). Table 4 shows that the HTMT for this model is less than 0.9, indicating no issues with the model's discriminant validity . Table 4. Heterotrait-monotrait ratio (HTMT) EP OC WLB EP OC 0.721 WLB 0.697 0.650 Work-life Balance and Organisational Commitment among Married Female Nurses Jameel, A S., & Alheety, A. S. 118 Figure 1. Measurement model 3.3. Structural model Bootstrapping with 5000 subsamples was used to run this step. The first step is to report the R2 for the model and assess the variance between the exogenous and endogenous variables, as shown in Figure 1. The R2 for EP is 56%, and for OC is 38%, indicating a moderate level of variance (Chin, 1998). Secondly, the effect size F2 for the path from exogenous to endogenous variables was analysed. The results showed a large effect size of 0.620 for the predicted path from WLB to OC, and medium effect sizes of 0.286 and 0.196 for the paths from OC and WLB to EP, respectively. These effect sizes were categorised based on Hair et al.'s (2019) criteria. Thirdly, the Q2 value should be greater than zero (Hair et al., 2019). The Q2 values for this model were 0.330 for EP and 0.308 for OC, indicating no issues with this criterion, as all values are above zero. The model proposed three direct hypotheses and one hypothesised indirect effect. The results in Table 5 and Figure 2 indicate that all hypotheses are supported. The path from WLB to EP and WLB to OC showed p-values of 0.000 < 0.05 and t-values of 12.383 and 11.77 > 1.96, respectively, indicating that WLB has a positive and significant impact on EP and OC, and therefore H1 and H2 are supported. pp. 106-126 Vol. 5 No. 1 (2023) Management & Economics Research Journal 119 The impact of OC on EP was also significant, with a p-value of 0.00, less than 0.05, and a t-value of 5.99 > 1.96, thus supporting H3. The indirect effect of WLB on EP via OC as a mediator was also significant, with a p- value of 0.000 < 0.05 and a t-value of 5.327 > 1.96, supporting H4. However, it should be noted that the mediator role of OC is only partly due to the significant direct effect of WLB on EP. Table 5. Total effects Path Original sample Sample mean Standard deviation t-values p -values Supported H1 WLB -> EP 0.376 0.380 0.077 4.908 0.000 Yes H2 WLB -> OC 0.619 0.619 0.053 11.774 0.000 Yes H3 OC -> EP 0.453 0.452 0.076 5.993 0.000 Yes Specific indirect effects H4 WLB -> OC -> EP 0.280 0.279 0.053 5.327 0.000 Yes Figure 2. Structural model 4. Discussion Female nurses have trouble finishing tasks and become distracted if they are overly preoccupied with interpersonal issues at work. Due to the heavy burden, job and family issues are rarely combined. WLB has statistical value on female married performance, which aligns with previous results Work-life Balance and Organisational Commitment among Married Female Nurses Jameel, A S., & Alheety, A. S. 120 (Mendis and Weerakkody, 2017; Prasetya and Natalia, 2020; Al-Alawi et al., 2021; Sundari et al., 2022). Female married nurses who maintain a positive work-life balance perform better at work. The study's participants discussed their willingness to be adaptable at work when necessary and emphasised that they are not prepared to give up their personal life for their jobs. Our findings are consistent with the "social exchange theory", which states that employees will be more productive if they devote equal time to their personal and professional lives. Nurses who have a good work-life balance perform better at work. Therefore, hospitals must foster a culture that supports work-life balance to bring out the best in their female nurses, which may improve their performance. However, the reality that female nurses feel tremendous psychological pain due to the tension between work and family could negatively impact performance. High levels of flexibility at hospitals are possible by WLB, which can inspire female nurses to perform better. Nurses can work under a flexible schedule to make up for time spent attending to urgent family concerns or other personal matters during working hours. As a result, the nurses' attendance may increase due to this workplace flexibility. WLB aims to reduce the tension between work and home responsibilities to preserve workers' well-being. Nurses who are in excellent physical and mental health perform better in hospitals. WLB fosters benefits for both hospitals and nurses. It is crucial to adapt work-life balance policies to nurses' demands. Statistically, WLB can improve the commitment of married female nurses, and this result is supported by prior results (Mendis and Weerakkody, 2017; Sundari et al., 2022). The organisation's commitment among female nurses rises with a more substantial work-life balance as assessed by the flexibility element or program, social support, financial assistance, and the hospitals' recreational and athletic programs offered. The importance of social work and how they are integrated into one another concerning how favourably they affect organisational commitment. Maintaining a healthy work-life balance can impact nurses' commitment to the hospital, work-family and family-work conflict levels, and turnover intentions. Work-life balance is crucial for every hospital, but it is vital for those whose success depends on the commitment and devotion of female nurses. However, a healthy work-life balance may affect nurses' intentions to leave a hospital and organisational commitment. The result showed the commitment of female married nurses increased their performance. This result aligns with past findings (Talukder, Vickers and Khan, 2018; Oyewobi et al., 2019; Donkor, Dongmei and pp. 106-126 Vol. 5 No. 1 (2023) Management & Economics Research Journal 121 Sekyere, 2021; Sundari et al., 2022). A married female nurse with a high level of commitment will identify with the hospital, be actively involved in their job, and be loyal and supportive of it. In addition, married female nurses will act in a way that supports achieving hospital goals and demonstrates a desire to remain with the hospital. The analysis's findings demonstrate that the amount of married female nurses' confidence in accepting the hospital's ideals is the indication that is seen to be significant in expressing organisational commitment. At the same time, integrity significantly influences married female nurses' performance. Therefore, it is comprehensible that how married female nurses' values are incorporated into the hospital may impact their integrity, expressed in their honesty in working in line with hospital standards. The mediating role of OC between WLB and EP was partially mediated, which means the OC was able to improve the relationship between the WLB and the performance of married female nurses. Similar findings were reported by several previous studies (Mendis and Weerakkody, 2017; Talukder, Vickers and Khan, 2018; Hendri, 2019; Aruldoss et al., 2022). Married female nurses treat patients empathetically because they are convinced their employment does not conflict with their personal life. Nurses with extensive service histories and permanent employment status are more committed to the hospital. Long and seasoned work periods enhance performance and make organisational commitment clear. 5. Theoretical and practical implications The current study has implications for female married nurses and the hospital management's understanding of the importance of WLB and Performance. The study's implications are to enrich the knowledge in the context of Iraq due to the lack of attention to this topic in Iraqi literature, particularly among married nurses. The current study's findings confirm one fundamental truth: the WLB concept is the same whether it is used in the setting of a developing country or a developed one. This is so because while the current study focused on married nurses in Iraq, a developing nation, the findings are consistent with prior research. It is logical to assume that although WLB is significantly higher in industrialised countries than in developing nations like Iraq, the effects of WLB will continue to be favourable. Even though the working environment, cost of living, infrastructure, and tastes and preferences of employees in Iraq differ from those in Western countries, the effects of WLB on the performance of nurses and commitment are comparable to other environments. The current study's results enrich the existing literature and Work-life Balance and Organisational Commitment among Married Female Nurses Jameel, A S., & Alheety, A. S. 122 employ OC as a mediator variable for enhancing the association between WLB and the performance of married nurses. Hospital managers should maintain a pleasant work environment since WLB enhances dedication to the task, increases female nurses' performance, decreases stress, and positively adds to performance and commitment. However, Hospital managers should conduct regular surveys of nurses' performance and commitment, and WLB may assist in uncovering information about any issues at work or home. These surveys would give managers the tools to recruit and keep effective workers. Hospital Managers should evaluate the training techniques used and frequently review them to suit the changing needs of the environment because the training and development are crucial for enhancing performance, commitment for nurses, and life balance. Additionally, nurses must be aware of the value of training programs and actively participate in them. The training and development programs may assist nurses in enhancing their abilities and advancing their careers and personal lives. 6. Conclusion The study proposed four questions, and the results of this study answered all the questions and achieved the study's aims. The results indicated the WLB of married female nurses could enhance their performance and commitment. Furthermore, the commitment of married female nurses improves their performance and simultaneously partially mediates the relation between the WLB and the performance of married female nurses. The results show that internal contact between hospital leadership and married female nurses must be established. Furthermore, communication is needed to explain every choice made to become transparent. In keeping with that, regulating workloads and fostering a pleasant work environment is crucial to lowering job-related stress from excessive workloads. 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Literature review 2.1. Work-life balance 2.2. Organisational commitment 2.3. Employee performance 2.4. WLB and performance 2.5. WLB and OC 2.6. OC and performance 2.7. The mediating role of organisational commitment 2. Methodology 3. Results 3.1. Personal information 3.2. Measurement model 3.3. Structural model 4. Discussion 5. Theoretical and practical implications 6. Conclusion Declaration of conflicting interests References