Work is often conceptualized quite narrowly to include only those activities which relate to paid employment outside the home. Yet an entire continuum of family relationships, domestic responsibilities, and employment outside the home are managed by women in their daily lives. During pregnancy, women maintain these various work activities while preparing for childbirth and mothering a new infant. Few researchers have studied women's work from a perspective of all work activity done during pregnancy. A theoretical model which explains women's work during pregnancy could facilitate research and guide both health policy and nursing practice. The purpose of this project is to discover, develop, and provisionally verify a theory of women's work during pregnancy.
The specific aim of the research component of the project is to describe how women themselves define, create, shape, modify, and manage their work during pregnancy. Data will be gathered from a sample of approximately 40 pregnant women from different socioeconomic groups. About 25% of the sample will be recruited early in pregnancy and interviewed once each trimester. The other 75% will be recruited to assure a reasonably even distribution across trimesters. Data will be analyzed using the grounded theory technique of constant comparative analysis for the purpose of generating substantive middle-range theory related to women's work during pregnancy. The purpose of the educational component of the project is to enhance the development of the investigator as an independent researcher, and lay the foundation for a strong program of research. This purpose will be accomplished as the proposed research is conducted, in conjunction with sponsorship, mentorship, and consultation provided by a cadre of scholars with substantive and methodological expertise. The project will take place at the University of California San Francisco, a setting in which the research enterprise is highly valued.
| Hilfinger Messias, Deanne K; DeJoseph, Jeanne F (2007) The personal work of a first pregnancy: transforming identities, relationships, and women's work. Women Health 45:41-64 |
