"It's the Whole Picture of a Person": Exploring the Experiences and Meaning of Well-Being through the Voices of First-Time Working Mothers

Background and purpose: Existing research has examined the relationship between parenting and well-being, yielding inconsistent results (Wills & Petrakis, 2019). These inconsistencies have been partly linked to the variability in the conceptualization of well-being, emphasizing the absence of mental disorders, while other models highlight elements of flourishment, intellectual pursuits, happiness, and leisure (Diener & Seligman, 2004; Ginzberg, 1991; Holton et al., 2020; Knowles, 2018; Ruggeri et al., 2020). In addition to the variability in conceptualization, feminist perspectives argue that existing models are androcentric and that women typically have a different starting point from which to theorize well-being and how they understand it (Ginzberg, 1991; Knowles, 2018).

This qualitative Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) study employs elements of Intersectionality and Relational-Cultural Theory to better understand the experiences of first-time working mothers and how they define and experience well-being. Additionally, this study seeks to shed light on the strategies used to enhance well-being and the barriers mothers face in their journeys.

Methods: Semi-structured interviews were used to better understand the experiences of ten first-time working mothers with children who had not entered kindergarten. Mothers in our study identified as White (70%), South West Asian (10%), Asian (10%), and Latinx (10%). Interviews were transcribed verbatim, and the researcher used IPA’s data analysis techniques (Smith et al., 2022).

Findings: Preliminary findings revealed that mothers viewed well-being as a multidimensional concept that spans across their individual, relational, and communal beings. Well-being is centered around the whole picture of a person, encompassing their mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual needs. Well-being is going beyond meeting basic needs and finding inner peace, happiness, “filling their cups”, and being content with their journey. Strategies to enhance well-being included connecting with others, creating healthy boundaries, self-care, communicating needs, affirmations, reflections, and acceptance.

For some mothers in our study, the notion of thriving was seen as an unrealistic goal as they aligned more with “surviving”. In fact, one mother indicated that striving to reach the normative image of "thriving" added additional pressures of achieving something that is not realistically attainable at this stage in her mothering journey. Additional barriers included lack of time and societal pressures that lead to experiencing guilt and shame.

Conclusion and Implications: This study aimed to center the voices of mothers to inform Social Work education, practice, and advocacy efforts. As such, social workers are encouraged to re-evaluate and challenge the traditional notions of well-being and to utilize assessments that do not solely focus on the absence of illness, but instead consider how social and cultural factors affect mothers and their unique journeys. Social workers must also develop resources and programs that address the individual, relational, and communal needs of mothers by normalizing shared experiences. Advocacy efforts should ensure equitable access to maternity services, childcare, community resources, family-friendly work policies, and extended maternity leave. Lastly, providers must reflect upon their beliefs and practices, which might unintentionally intensify the feelings of guilt, shame, and mother blame.