From Professional to Domestic: The Narrative Role Disorientation Experienced by Women Leaving the Workforce

Ardianta Rabu, September 02, 2026
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FORMOSA NEWS

Women Leaving Workforce Experience Role Disorientation Across Identity Time and Daily Activities

The decision of married women to leave employment and transition into full-time domestic roles triggers profound psychological disruptions that lead to role disorientation. A qualitative study published in June 2026 by Irma Tiana Cahyaningrum and Jaya Addin Linando from Universitas Islam Indonesia reveals that exiting the professional sphere alters three fundamental dimensions of women's daily lives: self-identity, time structure, and routine activities. Based on in-depth interviews with 15 married women in Indonesia, the research demonstrates that resigning from work is far more than a routine status change; it represents a chaotic life transition that reshapes personal meaning and leaves individuals struggling with awkwardness, confusion, and emptiness.

Female labor force participation drops significantly following marriage and childbirth, primarily driven by intense work-family conflicts and rigid societal expectations. Dual demands between professional responsibilities and domestic obligations frequently force women to step away from their careers. While societal narratives often treat transitioning into a full-time domestic role as natural or morally expected, previous academic literature focused almost exclusively on the financial implications or initial reasons for quitting. Consequently, the internal identity crises and psychological disorientation experienced during the transition remained unexamined, leaving families and social support networks ill-equipped to help women navigate this profound life change.

To investigate these lived experiences, the researchers from Universitas Islam Indonesia adopted a qualitative phenomenological approach. Data collection involved detailed, semi-structured interviews with 15 married women who previously worked in various sectors—such as factory production, retail, education, tax supervision, and banking—and subsequently transitioned into full-time domestic roles. The researchers used a six-phase thematic analysis framework to organize the data into meaningful patterns. Grounded in Self-Determination Theory and Latent Deprivation Theory, the analytical framework evaluated how the removal of workplace structures affected psychological well-being, personal autonomy, and daily structure.

The empirical findings highlight specific disruptions occurring across key areas of daily life:

  • Identity Shift and Loss of Independence: Relinquishing professional roles eliminates financial autonomy, causing a transition from self-reliance to dependence on spouses. This shift leads to reduced self-confidence and feelings of diminished empowerment, creating cognitive dissonance as women's core values of independence clash with their new domestic reality.
  • Disorganization of Temporal Structure: Employment provides external temporal boundaries that organize daily routines. When women leave the workforce, the 24-hour day loses its explicit structure, leaving available time unstructured, unorganized, and prone to feeling wasted.
  • Contraction of Daily Activities: Dynamic and varied professional routines contract into repetitive domestic tasks. The loss of diverse workplace responsibilities deprives women of purposeful engagement, making daily life feel monotonous once basic household chores are complete.
  • Manifestation of Role Disorientation: The combined disruptions in identity, time, and activities culminate in role disorientation. Women experience feelings of awkwardness, unfamiliarity, daily confusion, and a persistent sense of loss, feeling as though an essential anchor of their existence is missing.

These findings carry important implications for policymakers, mental health professionals, corporate leaders, and families. The study highlights the necessity of pre-exit psychological preparation for women considering leaving their jobs, helping them construct personal identities and meaningful activities outside of work prior to resignation. Organizations and government agencies are encouraged to design flexible working arrangements or gradual career transition programs, reducing the need for abrupt departures from the labor market. Furthermore, families and spouses must provide active emotional support to help women reconstruct their sense of self during domestic transitions.

Reflecting on the emotional complexity of this transition, the research team from Universitas Islam Indonesia emphasized that leaving employment requires empathetic support from surrounding social networks. "For women, ceasing professional activity is not merely a change in status from worker to housewife, but a profound transitional experience that shakes the very foundation of their lives, requiring a gradual process of reconfiguring everyday meaning and personal identity," stated Irma Tiana Cahyaningrum and Jaya Addin Linando.

Author Profiles

  1. Irma Tiana Cahyaningrum, S.E.: Lead researcher and Master of Management graduate from Universitas Islam Indonesia, specializing in Organizational Behavior, Human Resource Management, and Gender Studies.
  2. Jaya Addin Linando, S.E., M.B.A., Ph.D.: Assistant Professor and researcher at the Department of Management, Universitas Islam Indonesia, with expertise in Organizational Behavior, Work-Life Balance, Human Resource Management, and Qualitative Research Methodologies.

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