The Relationship Between Mother–Wife Role Conflict, Emotional Exhaustion, and Marital Satisfaction Among Employed Women
Keywords:
Role conflict, motherhood, wife role, emotional exhaustion, marital satisfaction, employed women, thematic analysis, TehranAbstract
Objective: This study aimed to explore employed women’s lived experiences of the relationship between mother–wife role conflict, emotional exhaustion, and marital satisfaction in the family and occupational context of Tehran.
Methods and Materials: This qualitative study employed a thematic analysis approach. Participants were 18 married employed mothers living in Tehran, selected through purposive sampling with maximum variation in age, education, duration of marriage, number of children, and type of employment. Data were collected using individual semi-structured interviews. Sampling continued until theoretical saturation was reached; saturation occurred at the sixteenth interview, and two additional interviews were conducted to confirm data adequacy. After obtaining informed consent, interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using NVivo software. Data analysis followed the phases of familiarization, initial coding, searching for themes, reviewing themes, defining and naming themes, and producing the final report.
Findings: Four main categories emerged from the analysis: “temporal collision and simultaneity of role demands,” “emotional exhaustion caused by affective labor and invisible responsibilities,” “erosion of marital relationship quality through reduced communication, intimacy, and support,” and “protective strategies, including spousal support, role boundary management, and redefinition of personal identity.” The findings indicated that mother–wife role conflict is not merely a matter of time shortage; rather, it is interwoven with guilt, normative pressure, emotional fatigue, and reduced relational capacity.
Conclusion: The results suggest that marital satisfaction among employed women becomes vulnerable when maternal and spousal demands are concentrated on women without sufficient emotional and practical spousal support and without family-friendly organizational policies. Couple-based interventions, supportive communication training, equitable division of domestic labor, and workplace flexibility may reduce emotional exhaustion and enhance marital satisfaction.
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