earticle

영어

The purposes of this study was to reveal the experience of mother as divorced single-parent heads of family and enlarge the range of understanding of single-parent female heads of family in Korea. To achieve this purposes, this study asked divorced single-parent female heads of family that "what was your experience as mother as divorced single-parent heads of family?". Giorgi's phenomenological method was used to derive generally semantic structure of subjects' experience. Their experience-related data was collected through 2 or 3 in-depth individual interviews of 6 mothers as divorced single-parent heads of family in aged 30 and 40 residing in the eastern part of Gangwon Province from Dec. 2006 to April 2007. As a result of analysis, the experience of mothers as divorced single-parent heads of family is ‘leading a life with her children’ rather than unsuccessful married life and 4 components were found. Components of experience derived from study results include ‘giving up wife's status’, ‘making a great business of economic responsibility’, ‘fostering responsibility alone is beyond her capacity’, ‘finding out self-identity as independent supporter’.Based on these results, this study discussed the meaning of experience of mother as divorced single-parent female heads of family in the context of Korean unique society and culture and presented suggestions of follow-up study in theoretical, methodological, and practical aspects.

한국어

연구는 “이혼한 여성 한부모가 체험한 어머니의 경험은 무엇인가?”라는 질문을 가지고 자녀가 있는 이혼여성이 결혼의 위기라고 할 수 있는 이혼 후에 자녀양육을 지속하면서 경험하는 어머니체험을 내부자적인 관점에서 심층적으로 이해함으로써 부계중심의 한국사회에서 결혼제도 밖으로 밀려난 여성 한부모가 경험하는 어머니의 본질적인 의미구조를 밝히는데 목적을 두었다. 해당 자료는 Giorgi의 현상학적 연구방법으로 분석하였으며, 이혼한 여성 한부모가 체험한 어머니의 의미구조는 ‘자녀의 독립된 양육자로 살아가기’이며, 의미구조를 구성하는 4개의 구성요소는 ‘아내의 자리를 포기해 버림’, ‘경제적 책임을 혼자서 감당하기 어려움’, ‘혼자서 책임져야 하는 자녀 양육이 버거움’, ‘독립된 양육자로 정체성을 찾음’이었다. 이상의 연구결과를 토대로 이혼을 통해 발생하는 여성의 삶의 변화라는 측면, 교육을 통한 사회적 편견과 인식의 전환이라는 측면, 이혼한 여성 한부모와 그의 가족에 공적인 사회복지지원 측면에서 제언을 하였다.