When Marriage Ends and Self Begins: Women's and Children's Narratives of Annulment

Abstract : The experience of marital annulment involves profound loss and disruption, yet it may also create opportunities for healing, growth, and renewed agency. This narrative inquiry explored how women and their children made sense of life before, during, and after annulment. Specifically, it addressed two questions: (1) How do women understand and construct meaning from their annulment experience across time? and (2) How do children understand and make sense of their parents’ annulment? Participants included six Filipino mothers and their adolescent children, yielding a total of twelve participants. Data were gathered through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using narrative inquiry. Four resonant threads emerged from the women’s and children’s narratives: (1) a lack of a differentiated sense of self rendered women vulnerable to culturally prescribed reasons for marriage; (2) a breakthrough occurred when women gained clarity about their personal and familial aspirations and reconciled these with their desired future; (3) renewed women chose to continue their healing journey alongside their children, modeling confidence, self-worth, and agency; and (4) sustained emotional growth for both mothers and children was fostered through open communication, mutual support, and shared healing practices. Findings highlight the central role of self-differentiation in women’s marital and post-marital experiences. Initially constrained by cultural expectations and relational fusion, the women gradually confronted identity erosion and shifted toward self-prioritization and self-fulfillment. Positive outcomes were facilitated by inner resources such as determination, acceptance, meaning-making, and the redirection of emotional energy toward productive endeavors. These processes enabled women to either enter more mature relationships or confidently remain single. Children, in turn, developed resilience and a redefined understanding of family continuity despite parental separation. This study contributes to Philippine family studies by offering an in-depth account of the inner psychological and relational journeys of women and children navigating annulment, foregrounding healing, agency, and family transformation.