Work-life balance in higher education: A review based on bibliographic coupling analysis

This study provides an overview of higher education's work-life balance (WLB) structure by employing bibliographic coupling analysis to explore key research clusters. Data was collected from the Web of Science database, resulting in 203 publications retained for analysis, with VOS viewer software used to construct and visualize the bibliographic coupling network. The bibliometric analysis revealed eight clusters, notably including "The Impact of COVID-19 on Work-Life Balance and Well-being in Higher Education", "Impact of Work-Life Balance on Work Outcomes", "The Career Paths of Academics", and "Institutional and Personal Pressures Affecting Academic WLB". Despite existing bibliographic analyses of WLB policy across multiple disciplines and WLB dynamics during the pandemic, a dedicated in-depth analysis mapping the WLB research landscape specifically within the higher education sector has been notably absent. Therefore, this study uniquely contributes by offering a comprehensive overview of the WLB structure in higher education, identifying key research groups, and suggesting future directions, which will primarily benefit academic institutions, policymakers, and educators. Future research on academic well-being and WLB should adopt longitudinal and intersectional approaches, exploring experiences across diverse populations defined by gender, race, and career stage. Key areas include examining technology's impact, developing tailored mental health interventions and robust institutional support mechanisms, and emphasizing comparative analyses across global contexts as well as exploring generational differences in perceptions of WLB. In addition, refining theoretical frameworks for emerging work models is essential to inform equitable and sustainable policies.