تفسیر و بازنمایی ابعاد مختلف مرخصی زایمان در بین مادران شاغل

هدف از این مطالعه، تفسیر و بازنمایی ابعاد مختلف مرخصی زایمان در بین مادران شاغل است. رویکرد پژوهش کیفی است. نمونه شامل 25 زن شاغل با تجربۀ مرخصی زایمان ساکن شهر تهران است که از طریق نمونه‌گیری هدفمند و با حداکثر تنوع براساس سطح اشباع نظری تعیین شدند. شیوۀ گردآوری داده‌ها مصاحبۀ عمیق به‌صورت انفرادی و حضوری و تلفنی و روش تحلیل یافته‌ها، تحلیل مضمون به روش براون است که به سه شیوۀ کدگذاری باز، محوری و انتخابی استخراج شدند. از فرایند تحلیل داده‌ها مقولۀ هستۀ «دوگانگی در تجربۀ مرخصی زایمان» حاصل شد که برخاسته از دو مضمون «تجربۀ دووجهی زنان از فرصت مرخصی زایمان» و «تناقضات در سیاست و برنامه‌های اجرایی» است. براساس یافته‌ها «مهارت‌های مدیریت بدن»، «ارتقای سلامت زیستی کودک»، «ایفای باکیفیت نقش مادری» و «کمک به تعادل کار-خانواده» گویای درک زنان از مرخصی زایمان به‌مثابۀ فرصتی برای تقویت نهاد خانواده است، اما تردید در تصمیم‌گیری که ناشی از «ترس از جدایی از فرزند» و «تردید در بازگشت به کار» است و ناامنی و تنزل موقعیت شغلی نیز بخش مهمی از تجربۀ مادران به‌شمار می‌رود. درک مادران شاغل از نحوۀ اجرای برنامه نیز بیانگر متناقض‌بودن آن است که از سه زیرمضمون «نابسندگی قانون‌گذاری»، «تن‌ندادن بخش خصوصی» و «گشودگی بخش دولتی» احصا شده است. نتیجه اینکه سیاست مرخصی زایمان با توجه به نیازها و شرایط مادران، کودکان و کارفرمایان نیازمند بررسی، نظارت و بازطراحی است.

employed mothers' interpretation of different dimensions of maternity leave

in recent years, following the decrease in the fertility level and the change in the pattern of childbearing in iran and the resulting demographic, economic, and social consequences of these phenomena, efforts have been made in the policy system to support families andworking women. increasing the length of maternity leave from six months to nine months has been one such effort to support working women and increase the fertility rate in the country. this study focuses on the interpretation and representation of the differentdimensions of maternity leave among employed mothers. more specifically, this work attempts to understand the effects of the aforementioned policy in areas such as the continuation of women's participation in the labor market, improvement of the health offamily members, development of the financial well-being of the family, maintenance of the job values of mothers, the working mothers' satisfaction, and the reduction of work-family conflict from the perspective of working mothers who are the target group of the policy.the approach of this research is qualitative. the sample includes 25 employed women with maternity leave experience living in tehran, who were determined through purposive sampling with maximum diversity based on the level of theoretical saturation. the data collection method consists of in-depth interviews conducted in the fall and winter of 2022.this study was carried out during the covid-19 pandemic, which affected both information collection and the duration of the research. therefore, some interviews were conducted in person and some by phone. the method of analysis was thematic analysis, which was extracted in three methods of open, axial, and selective coding. from the data analysis process, the core category of paradoxical expression of maternity leave experience was obtained, which arises from the two themes of women's dual experience of maternity leave and contradictions in policies and executive plans. the category women's dualexperience of maternity leave is the result of three sub-themes of strengthening the family institution, doubt in decision-making, and “job insecurity”, which demonstrate the dual experience. according to the findings, body management skills, promoting the biological health of the child, quality motherhood, and helping the work-family balance portray women's perception of maternity leave as an opportunity to strengthen the institution of the family, but the indecisiveness in making decisions, rooted in fear of separation from the child and hesitation to return to work, as well as insecurity and job degradation is also an important part of mothers' experiences. furthermore, the program’s contradictory naturealso becomes evident in the understanding of employed mothers about how to implement it,which is included in three sub-themes: lack of legislation, closure of the private sector, and openness of the public sector. based on the lived experience of the mothers in this study, on the one hand, the maternity leave policy has helped the well-being of women and families and has provided mothers with a peace of mind in regards to the health and wellbeing of both the mother and the child. on the other hand, this program has been the sourceof some worries, fears, and uncertainties, and it has many weaknesses due to the contradictions in the policies and executive programs in securing the working mothers’ wellbeing and peace of mind. nevertheless, various conditions such as economics, family, work environment, physical conditions of mother and child, and the level of knowledge and abilityof mothers in understanding and facing issues related to the conflict of work and family roleshave created a diverse experience of maternity leave for women. in this regard, the review of policies related to the protection of working women shows that there are good protective laws in iran.