A Phenomenological Study: The Dual-Career Couples Narrative from the Children Dimension in Family Function

Family function has been changed by the couplechr('39')s simultaneous employment and presents particular problems ahead of them. The children dimension is one of the dimensions that strongly influences the family function. The purpose of this study was to extract the lived experience of the dual-career couple from the influence of the children dimension on family functioning. 

This research approach was qualitative interpretative phenomenological analysis and done in Nourabad, Lorestan. In this study, two groups of twelve dual-career couples with and without marital conflicts were selected by snowball sampling through purposeful sampling and interviewed for a period of four months (November to February 2018-2019). Interviews were analyzed using the Diekelmann, Allen, Tanner method, which is team-based and is common in interpretive phenomenology.

The analysis of the data resulted in the identification of two main themes including healthy functioning (with sub-themes: positive functions for children, interactive parenting, and professional parenting) and unhealthy functioning (with sub-themes: negative functions for children, confrontational parenting, perilous parenting, and childbearing as a threat). 

The findings of this qualitative study, identifying the positive and negative factors affecting the dimension of children in family functioning of working couples, can provide the basis for developing educational programs and packages to reduce the effects of parenting injuries on this lifestyle. It is suggested that the findings of this qualitative study be used by clinicians, counselors, and psychiatrists working with couples for prevention and education.