A Qualitative Approach to Exploring the Experience of Mothers in Negotiating Their Maternal Roles When They Return to Work Outside of the Home

cityu.schoolDivision of Arts and Sciences
cityu.siteVictoria
cityu.site.countryCanada
dc.contributor.authorMay-Conrad, Heather
dc.date.accessioned2018-11-26T23:46:43Z
dc.date.available2018-11-26T23:46:43Z
dc.date.issued2018-06
dc.description.abstractThe purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the experiences of mothers in negotiating their maternal roles in the household after returning to work outside of the home. Three women between the ages of 25-39 who had returned to work for the first time since childbirth participated in semi-structured interviews. Transcripts of the interviews were analyzed and grouped into the following three over-arching themes: Multiple Demands and Trade-offs in Maternal Decision Making; The Negotiation of Roles and Responsibilities Within Partnerships; and Flexibility and Fluidity in Evolving Family Dynamics. The results indicate that the negotiation of maternal roles and responsibilities is unique to each individual and family, and decisions around family responsibilities and domestic work involve complex interactions between personal, interpersonal and sociocultural demands and expectations. A discussion of the results highlights the importance of qualitative research in studying family processes as well as the changing nature of family structures. This study concludes by exploring the limitations of this research as well as practical implications for individual and family counsellors, such as adopting an awareness of socially constructed gender expectations, and recognizing the influence of intensive parenting discourses on maternal decision making.
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11803/750
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisher.institutionCity University of Seattle (CityU)
dc.rightsAttribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States
dc.rightsopenAccess
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/
dc.subjectphenomenology
dc.subjectphenomenological research
dc.subjectmaternal roles
dc.subjectmaternal identity
dc.subjectintensive parenting
dc.subjectdual-earner families
dc.titleA Qualitative Approach to Exploring the Experience of Mothers in Negotiating Their Maternal Roles When They Return to Work Outside of the Home
dc.typeThesis
thesis.degree.disciplineCounselling
thesis.degree.grantorCity University of Seattle
thesis.degree.levelMasters
thesis.degree.nameMaster of Counselling
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