Narrative Inquiry Research on the Experience of Married Middle-aged Women

Abstract

Objective: In this study, I explored the difficulties and rewards of the experience of married middle-aged five women with jobs through narrative inquiry. The graduate course work of married women with jobs is accompanied by more difficulties due to the multiple roles of wife, mother, worker, and student. Methods: Data from this study were collected through in-depth interviews. It took 15 weeks from September 1, 2017 to December 20, 2017. Six in - depth interviews were conducted for each of the five participants, and 60 to 120 minutes were required for one meeting. Results: The researchers gathered stories of married middle-aged women who had undergone doctoral studies and divided them into three categories: ‘motivation for entry, difficulty during doctoral study, and rewarding during doctoral study’. Conclusion/Implications: This is expected to be a concrete resource for supporting married middle-aged women in doctoral programs.