• Korean Journal of Social Welfare Studies
• /
• v.45 no.3
• /
• pp.35-69
• /
• 2014

This study was conducted to explore initial motherhood experience of non-married mothers who decided to raise their babies. We applied Rennie's hermeneutic grounded theory for this study in which 7 non-married mothers participated. 9 hermeneutic categories which are 'decision to give birth', 'feeling of hitting bottom', 'ambivalence toward a life in stomach', 'realization of motherhood', 'motherhood anxiety', 'the bridle of social tag', 'hope of motherhood', 'encounter with new self' and 'visage of weary life' were constructed based on 145 meaning units, 34 subordinate categories. The core category that integrates motherhood experiences of participants was postulated as living with two conflicting visages of motherhood which are a cure and a poison at the same time. Motherhood experience processes were emerged in five stages which are decision to give birth, psychological frustration, realization of motherhood, confusion, and hope and discouragement of motherhood. Three types of motherhood experience were analyzed in the study which are adaptative, conflictive, and resistant. Based on the result of the study, the motherhood experience of non-married mother who decided to raise their babies are the process of emergence of new identity called mother. The non-married mothers formed their motherhood identities as they internalize socioculturally granted motherhood ideology. Moreover, the gap between socially oriented motherhood and realistic role of motherhood led to confusion. Based on this study, we suggest intervention plans to the field of social welfare practice that will support initial motherhood of non-married mothers who decided to keep their babies.