an existential phenomenological exploration of the lived experiences of mothers in dual-career ...

132 Pages·2016·0.88 MB·English

University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Trace: Tennessee Research and Creative
Exchange
Doctoral Dissertations Graduate School
8-2011
AN EXISTENTIAL PHENOMENOLOGICAL
EXPLORTION OF THE LIVED
EXPERIENCES OF MOTHERS IN DUAL-
CAREER FAMILIES
Andrea Darlene Marable
To the Graduate Council:
I am submiting herewith a dissertation writen by Andrea Darlene Marable entitled "AN
EXISTENTIAL PHENOMENOLOGICAL EXPLORTION OF THE LIVED EXPERIENCES OF
MOTHERS IN DUAL-CAREER FAMILIES." I have examined the fnal electronic copy of this
dissertation for form and content and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfllment of the
requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, with a major in Child and Family Studies.
Priscilla Blanton, Major Professor
We have read this dissertation and recommend its acceptance:
Mary Jane Moran, Julia Malia, Sandra Tomas
Accepted for the Council:
Dixie L. Tompson
Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School
(Original signatures are on fle with ofcial student records.)
AN EXISTENTIAL PHENOMENOLOGICAL EXPLORATION OF THE LIVED
EXPERIENCES OF MOTHERS IN DUAL-CAREER FAMILIES

A Dissertation
Presented for the Doctor of Philosophy Degree
The University of Tennessee, Knoxville

Andrea Darlene Marable
August 2011
Copyright © 2011 by Andrea D. Marable
All rights reserved

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DEDICATION

This dissertation project is dedicated to my parents, Eddie and Tina Marable, and
my sister, Beth Blevins. Your unwavering love, support, and encouragement kept me
going on those days when I could not see the light at the end of the tunnel. Thank you for
all you have done to help me accomplish my goal!

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

First, I must thank the chair of my dissertation committee, Dr. Priscilla Blanton, for her
support, encouragement, and advice throughout the entire writing process. It meant so
much to know that she believed in me, and I always left our meetings feeling more
reassured and confident in my abilities. I thank her as well for her academic expertise
and editorial revisions of my work (and for loaning me all those books!). I must thank
also Drs. Julia Malia, Mary Jane Moran, and Sandra Thomas for their willingness to
serve on my committee. I appreciate their thoughtful insights, editorial comments, and
willingness to make themselves available to me when I needed guidance.
I want to thank the members of the University of Tennessee Phenomenology
Research Group for their support and encouragement. I knew so little about
phenomenology at the beginning of the writing process, but the members of the
phenomenology group helped me deepen my understanding of this methodology. I want
to thank them as well for helping me analyze transcripts and for giving me feedback on
my thematic structure. I do not think I could have completed this project successfully
without their help!
I must thank the director of the University of Tennessee Early Learning Center
for Research and Practice, Dr. Sean Durham, for his willingness to allow me to utilize the
center in soliciting participants for my research project. I was overwhelmed by the
number of mothers who agreed to participate in the study, and I want to thank everyone
who volunteered to participate. Most importantly, I want to thank all 10 study
participants. All the mothers I spoke with were so gracious, inviting me into their homes
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and lives. I must thank them for taking time out of their busy day to speak with me about
an issue I find important, as well as for their honesty and candid descriptions of their
experiences. I am forever grateful to them for helping to make this project a success.
I must thank as well my friends and co-workers for their encouragement and
support. I want to thank them for their kind words of comfort on days when I felt like
giving up, as well as their reassurances that I would, indeed, graduate. I must say thank
you as well to the children I work with on a daily basis who make me laugh and bring a
great deal of joy to my life, so to Michael, Simone, Francisco, Lily, Catherine, Max,
Jalen, and Lucy, I want to say thank you for being you!

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ABSTRACT

The purpose of the present study was to explore and describe the lived
experiences of mothers living in dual-career families. Using existential phenomenology
as the guiding research methodology, I interviewed10 mothers living in dual-career
families. Analysis of the interview transcripts revealed four themes that stood out as
figural for participants in the study: (a) “Free time isn‟t really free anymore”: Timing is
Everything; (b) “It‟s because of the support I get”: Supporting Me; (c) “I feel like I‟m
lacking in one area all the time, just a little bit”: Struggling to Find a Balance; and (d) “I
know how I would do things”: Knowing Myself. Each theme stood out against the
ground of world, specifically the two worlds of home and work and the struggle that
existed in integrating the two.
Study findings revealed that the two primary struggles faced by these mothers
living in dual-career families were those associated with balancing and time. A limited
amount of time necessitated a need to try to balance work and home, a balance that was
not easily achieved. Mothers perceived support networks and certain personality
characteristics as helpful in balancing the two worlds (although personality characteristics
were perceived as disadvantageous at times). Although challenges existed for these
mothers, they noted overwhelmingly that they desired to have a career. These mothers
saw their careers as one of the primary benefits of the dual-career lifestyle, and it was a
lifestyle they willingly chose.
Two findings from the study warrant future research. First, supportive others in
the community were an integral part of the support network for mothers in the present
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study, and little empirical literature is dedicated to the impact of this type of support on
the dual-career family. Second, participants perceived certain personality characteristics
as either advantageous or disadvantageous in helping them navigate the dual-career
lifestyle, and little empirical literature is dedicated to denoting the impact of individual
personality characteristics on managing the dual-career lifestyle. It would behoove family
scholars to be aware of these two unique aspects of the study.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER PAGE

1. INTRODUCTION 1
Rationale 1
Purpose 6
Research Question 7
Nominal Definitions 7
Summary 8

2. REVIEW OF LITERATURE 9
History of Women‟s Labor Force Participation 9
Delayed Childbearing 12
Challenges Facing Dual-Career Mothers 16
Benefits and Rewards for Dual-Career Mothers 28
Summary 37

3. METHODOLOGY 39
Introduction to Phenomenology 39
Rationale 47
Pilot Data 50
Procedure 52
Credibility of the Study 60
Protection of Human Subjects 61
Summary 62

4. FINDINGS 63
Demographic Data 63
Participant Vignettes 64
Table 1: Participant Demographics 65
Themes 69
Contextual Ground 84
Thematic Structure 89
Figure 1: Thematic Structure 91
Summary 93

5. DISCUSSION 94
Conclusions 94
Personal Reflections 97
Theoretical Context 100
Implications for Practice 101
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