Conceptualization of Motherhood and Changes in Research Focus in Qualitative Studies: Focusing on Three Family-Related Journals

This study examined the general and methodological characteristics of qualitative studies of motherhood, the ways motherhood has been conceptualized, and the research foci and sociocultural contexts addressed, together with changes in research focus across periods. Forty-one studies published from 2000 to 2026 in three family-related Korean journals were selected from 86 candidate articles, all of which were screened in full text. Motherhood conceptualizations, research foci, and sociocultural contexts were coded using a structured codebook. Results showed that studies frequently focused on mothers in diverse family and social contexts and that individual in-depth interviews dominated. Motherhood was conceptualized as a multilayered experience in which caregiving practices overlapped with identity, relationships, emotions, social norms, and institutional conditions. Caregiving remained a persistent research focus across periods, while maternal identity and work-motherhood coordination were relatively more visible in later periods. Maternal norms, social recognition, and institutional conditions remained prominent throughout. Among sociocultural contexts, those related to patriarchy, the normative family, and stigma were most frequently identified. The experiences of mothers after their children grew up and became independent were relatively underexplored. The findings provide a basis for counseling and coaching research and practice that support mothers’ identity reconstruction, role negotiation, and life transitions.