맞벌이 여성의 미취학 자녀 양육갈등 경험

Abstract

This study examines the nature and meaning of experiences regarding conflicts in rearing preschool children, based on the grounded theory approach. The subjects of this study were 15 dual-career women who had raised preschool children, and data were collected through in-depth interviews conducted from July 2018 to April 2020. Using Strauss and Corbin’s grounded theory approach, 129 concepts, 45 sub-categories, and 14 categories were deduced through data analysis; and based on this analysis, a paradigm model was constructed. Research results showed causal conditions such as “loss of confidence and expectation in child rearing” and “difficulty in rearing children alone,” as well as contextual conditions such as the “occurrence of marital conflict caused by problems related to child rearing and division of household labor” and “existence of internal conflict regarding one’s continuation of career.” The central phenomenon developed from the causal and contextual conditions was “exhaustion of body and mind created by the combination of work and child rearing.” Intervening conditions were the “presence of ambivalence,” “walking on eggshells with the secondary caregiver,” and "realistically unable to quit work.” Action/interaction strategies affected by the intervening conditions included “striving to become a good mother,” “requesting active child-rearing support,” and “coping and going to work.” Consequences were “gaining pride as a mother,” “anticipating a hopeful future,” and “becoming experienced and feeling relaxed.” The core category deduced through the research results was “overcoming conflict between work and child rearing and becoming a confident mother.” The process of experiencing conflict over time was formed through the following steps: repression and avoidance, depression and anger, exertion and acceptance, and adaptation and maintenance. There were five types of conflict in child-rearing: avoidant, repressive, compromising, dominative, and cooperative. The result of this study shows that the experiences of dual-career women regarding conflicts in rearing preschool children developed a theory on the process and structure of “overcoming conflict in child-rearing and becoming a confident mother” through participants’ intervening conditions and interactive strategies. This study is meaningful in terms of analyzing the most commonly known experiences of dual-career women regarding child rearing and assessing “the process of becoming a confident mother” by overcoming adversities and conflict.