Women and the experience of later-life divorce after long-term marriage : a phenomenological investigation

The goal of this study was to describe the thematic structure of the later- life divorce experience for women. Six women described their experiences of later-life divorce through phenomenological interviews. These interviews were audio-taped, then transcribed verbatim. The transcribed interviews were interpreted by the researcher and research group members. This interpretation involved a process of moving back and forth within and between parts of each transcript, then relating separate transcripts to one another to identify common themes. Meaning units were extracted from each transcribed interview and divided into groups representing common elements. These meaning units were examined within and across all transcripts. From the thematic analysis used in this study, five major themes with corresponding sub-themes emerged: Divorce as a Threat (Expectations, Awareness, Avoidance, Delay); Divorce as an Inevitability (Point of No Return, Declaration, Detachment); Divorce as a Barrier (Age, Alienation, Redefinition); Divorce as a Vehicle (Redefinition, Reorganization, Equilibration); and Divorce as a Discovery (Freedom, Learning, Prescriptions). In each interview, the themes emerged from the ground of Time. The results of this study were discussed in relation to existing literature. This was followed by an overview of existential issues related to Time, limitations of the study, implications for counseling, and the power of resiliency.