مطالعه کیفی تجربه زیسته احساس گناه در مادران شاغل

الناز ابراهیمی

doi:10.61838/5465878

Authors

Elnaz Ebrahimi Department of Cognitive Psychology, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.61838/5465878

Keywords:

maternal guilt, working mothers, lived experience, work–family conflict, intensive mothering, qualitative research

Abstract

This study aimed to explore the lived experience of guilt among working mothers in Tehran and to identify the psychological, familial, and sociocultural mechanisms that shape this experience. This qualitative study used a descriptive phenomenological design. Participants were 20 working mothers living in Tehran who were selected through purposive sampling. Inclusion criteria included having at least one child under 12 years of age, being employed formally or contractually for at least 30 hours per week, and simultaneously managing maternal and occupational responsibilities. Data were collected through individual semi-structured interviews. Interviews continued until theoretical saturation was achieved; saturation occurred at the eighteenth interview, and two additional interviews were conducted to ensure conceptual adequacy. All interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using NVivo software through reflexive thematic analysis. Data analysis led to the identification of four main categories: “temporal rupture and perceived insufficient presence,” “internalization of the perfect mother ideal,” “excessive compensation and role exhaustion,” and “reconstruction of the meaning of motherhood and employment.” Participants described maternal guilt not merely as an individual emotion but as a relational and moral experience emerging at the intersection of occupational demands, cultural expectations of motherhood, inadequate family support, and fear of social judgment. Interview excerpts indicated that many mothers interpreted physical absence from their children as “insufficient mothering” and post-work fatigue as a form of “moral inadequacy.” Guilt among working mothers is a multilayered experience shaped by role conflict, idealized standards of motherhood, and insufficient structural support. Reducing this experience requires psychological interventions, reconsideration of gendered norms, greater paternal involvement, and the development of family-friendly workplace policies.

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