Abstract

• The purpose of this study is to find the Korean women's view to pregnancy within the Korean cultural context, to help nurses understand psychosocioemotional schema of the pregnant women, and to contribute to theory- building on the meaning of pregnancy. The interviewees were 21 women in their twenties or thirties and they were selected by theoretical sampling technique. Thirteen women of the interviewees were single and others married. Data were collected by in-depth interviews from September November in 1994. Interviews were tape-recorded and transcribed. Data were analyzed by Van Kaam's phenomenological method. Results were as follows. Eighty two descriptive expression were found and they were grouped under fourteen common factors. These are [to maintain family],[instinct][obli-gation],[what one should do],[to make home],[to tie couple firmly],[means to overcome a period of lassitude], [token of love],[hope], [to avoid loneli-ness], [wanted to have a baby],[to provide for old ages], [to be a mother], [to achieve her desire through baby]. Finally, fourteen common factors were grouped under four higher categories. Five common factors, [to maintain family],[instinct],[obligation],[what one should do],[to make home] were grouped under (custom). Three factors,[to tie couple firmly],[means to overcome a period of lassitude], [token of love] were grouped under (love between couple). Four factors,[hope],[to avoid loneliness], [wanted to have a baby],[to provide for old ages] were grouped under (pursuiting safety). Two factors, [to be a mother], [to achieve her desire through baby] were grouped under (self fulfillment). At present, the most distinguishing motivation of childbearing was rooted in the cultural custom. Kortean women thought that it was their duties to have children and children were necessary in life. But they were beginning to recognize that baby could tie couple more firmly and get rid of their loneliness. Korean women no longer considered their children as the one who would take care of them when they were old or who would satisfy their unmet needs. As pregnancy is not women's duty only, authors recommend further studies on men's view to pregnancy.
• Keywords: pregnancy

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