Abstract
The purpose of this study is to deeply analyze the career transition experience and the essence of the entrepreneurial process of women who experienced a career break in middle age, to understand the career transition experience of women who experienced a career break in middle age, and to present a theoretical framework for the entrepreneurial settlement process. The research participants were 17 women who got a job in middle age after a career break or started a business through a career change during their career. Based on this, data were collected through in-depth interviews, and a qualitative analysis was conducted by applying the grounded theory research method proposed by Strauss and Corbin (2008, 2001). The results are as follows. First, 220 concepts, 58 subcategories, and 23 categories were derived. Second, the paradigm of the entrepreneurship process through the career transition experience of middle-aged women with a career gap was derived by setting the exhaustion of work and career identity due to decreased autonomy in uncertain jobs, and the limitations of the immediate jobs and job roles in middle age as the causal situations, and setting the employment barriers after the career gap, re-employment attempts, and job changes in middle age as the contextual situations, setting entrepreneurial efficacy and job maintenance awareness as the mediating conditions of middle-aged entrepreneurial transition, and setting entrepreneurial challenges as actions/interactions in the process of executing career transition behaviors, and setting the process of realizing entrepreneurial vision and business vision through career development. Third, the entrepreneurial decision-making process model through the career transition experience of middle-aged female entrepreneurs with a career gap was implemented in six stages: 'career gap and job maintenance stage', 'mid-aged career limitation recognition stage', 'subjective career and independent life accompanying stage', 'career transition and entrepreneurship execution stage', 'entrepreneurial career capacity building stage', and 'entrepreneurial career growth and change stage'. Fourth, the core category through the story outline was found to be 'career development and career development efforts and entrepreneurship tasks for overcoming adversity through career transition experience'. Through each category of the core category and paradigm model, the career transition experience and entrepreneurship competency performance in the entrepreneurship process of middle-aged female entrepreneurs were classified into three entrepreneurship types: entrepreneurship career development expansion type, entrepreneurship career meaning pursuit type, and entrepreneurship career stability maintenance type. This study presented what middle-aged start-up women with career interruptions actually experience in the entrepreneurship process through career transition experience. The significance of this study lies in revealing the entrepreneurship path of middle-aged women who recognize entrepreneurial efficacy by utilizing their strengths and competencies through career transition and work life after career interruption and pursue career development through the process of entrepreneurial challenge and settlement. Based on these results, the career transition experience and entrepreneurship path of middle-aged women who start a business after career interruption were discussed, and suggestions for the significance of this study and follow-up research were made.
본 연구의 목적은 중년기 경력단절 창업여성들의 진로전환경험과 창업 전환과정의 본질을 심층적으로 분석하여 중년기 경력단절 여성들의 진로전환경험을 이해하고 창업 구축과정에 대한 이론적 틀을 제시하는데 있다. 연구 참여자들은 경력단절 이후 취업하여 중년기에 직장생활을 하거나 직업 활동 중 진로전환하여 창업을 한 17명의 여성들을 대상으로 심층면담한 자료를 수집하고 이를 바탕으로 Strauss와 Corbin (2008, 2001)이 제시한 근거이론 연구방법을 적용하여 질적분석하였다. 결과는 첫째, 220개의 개념과 58개의 하위범주, 23개의 범주가 도출되었다. 둘째, 중년 경력단절 여성들의 진로전환경험을 통한 창업 구축과정에 대해 도출된 패러다임은 불확실한 직업에서 자율적의지 쇠퇴로 일과 진로정체감의 번아웃을 중심현상으로 하며, 중년기의 당면한 직장과 직업역할의 한계직면을 인과적 상황으로, 경력단절과 재취업시도 및 중년기 직장 중도사퇴이후 구직장벽을 맥락적 상황으로 하였다. 중년기의 창업전환을 위한 창업효능감인식과 직업유지를 중재조건으로 하고, 진로전환행동 실행과정에서 창업도전을 작용·상호작용으로 하여, 커리어개발을 통한 창업구축과 창업비전실현 이라는 결과가 나타났다. 셋째, 중년기 경력단절 창업여성들의 진로전환경험을 통한 창업구축 결정에 대한 과정모형은'경력단절 및 직업유지단계', '중년기 진로 한계인식단계','주관적 진로와 주체적 삶 동행단계','진로전환 창업실행단계','창업커리어 역량구축단계','창업커리어 성장변화단계'의 여섯 단계로 구현되었다. 넷째, 이야기윤곽을 통한 핵심범주는' 역경을 이겨내고 창업도전을 위한 진로전환경험과 커리어 개발노력을 통한 창업발전 '으로 나타났다. 핵심범주와 패러다임 모형의 각 범주를 통해 중년기 경력단절 창업여성의 진로전환경험과 창업과정의 창업역량 결과에 따라 창업커리어 발전확장형, 창업커리어 의미추구형, 창업커리어 안정유지형의 세 창업 유형으로 분류되었다. 이 연구는 중년기 경력단절 창업여성들이 실제 진로전환경험을 통한 창업과정에서 어떤 경험을 하는지 제시하였다. 참여자들이 경력단절과 직장생활을 거쳐 진로전환으로 강점과 역량을 활용한 창업효능감 인식을 통해 창업도전과 구축과정에서 커리어발달을 추구하는 중년여성의 창업 경로를 밝혀냈다는 점에서 의의가 있다. 이러한 결과를 바탕으로 중년기 경력단절 창업여성의 진로전환경험과 창업 진로과정에 대해 논의하고, 연구의 의의와 후속 연구를 위한 제언을 하였다.