Navigating Career Change: A Phenomenological Study of Married Women in India

Balancing career and family responsibilities, often with limited support, leads many married women to leave their jobs or experience significant burnout, prompting some to pursue a complete career change. While much research has focused on women’s career re-entry and challenges, the experiences of married Indian women who have successfully changed careers remain underexplored. The present study addresses this gap by examining the career change process among Indian married women. Using purposive sampling, seven women who made a career change were interviewed with a semi-structured approach, and results were analyzed through the interpretative phenomenological approach. The study identified five key themes: self-determined decision-making, transforming challenges into opportunities, the perceived advantage of gender, deprioritizing financial gains and a nurturing ecosystem. This study expands the theoretical understanding of married Indian women’s career changes, emphasizing self-determined processes influenced by sociocultural factors, autonomy and support systems while reframing career breaks as transformative opportunities for growth. The study emphasizes continuous career exploration, leveraging personal strengths, and offers practical guidance for counsellors and women to navigate transitions and harness career changes for growth and opportunity.