The experiences of mothers whose partners work abroad

Abstract

Mothers whose partners work abroad are not considered as single moms as they are in a relationship and yet they spend half of their lives alone having to cope with the demands of work and family. Studies abroad show that many mothers whose partners work abroad experience break-up of their marriages and separations while having to face all the family responsibilities alone. This qualitative study examines the lived experience of eight Maltese working mothers whose partners work abroad in order to explore how these Maltese women are coping with the responsibilities and the relationship. Results show that responsibilities are many and that a mother makes a lot of sacrifices in order to cope with the rearing of the children and also in maintaining the bond between her and the partner. Overall results show that along the years the responsibilities have not changed. At the same time, the relationships show that in Malta the couples still value the unity of a family even though the couples are living far apart.