Flourishing in working motherhood : living fully in a culture of exhaustion and intensive mothering

Schlecht, C. JoAnna

Includes abstract

D. Min. Covenant Theological Seminary 2026

Includes bibliographical references (leaves 249-265)

1 online resource (ix, 264 leaves)

Title

Flourishing in working motherhood : living fully in a culture of exhaustion and intensive mothering

Last modified

05/26/2026

Creator

Schlecht, C. JoAnna

Abstract

Everyone is meant to feel fully alive, and although much works against American mothers in this regard, burnout is not inevitable; with the right support and practices, flourishing is possible. The purpose of this study is to explore how Christian women with professional careers and young children flourish despite the challenges of maternal stress in their dual roles. The majority of American mothers today work full-time, engage in intensive mothering, and perform a “second shift” at home to manage domestic responsibilities and family needs. Within this tension, many women experience exhaustion and burnout that hinders their ability to live as whole persons made in the image of God. The purpose of this study is to contribute to the descriptive research of deeply spiritual working mothers and find out exactly how they can be a part of the community of the well-rested who are living full and flourishing lives. This study employed a qualitative design using semi-structured interviews with eight professional, Christian mothers, all of whom are married and represent various denominations. The interviews sought to address three research questions: (1) How do professional working mothers describe the challenges of maternal stress in their dual roles? (2) How do they navigate these challenges? and (3) In what ways, not currently experienced, do they desire to flourish while managing maternal stress in their dual roles? The literature review examined three key areas to frame this exploration: the history of motherhood in America, biblical rhythms of work and rest, and approaches to burnout prevention. This study concluded that participants demonstrated resiliency by establishing boundaries, pursuing rest, and cultivating support. It recommends that working mothers iv implement the creative practice of mothering sabbaticals following seasons of high stress - in order to combat exhaustion and be restored. Other recommendations include creating “unicorn space” for the development of hobbies and passion projects, nurturing deeply supportive female friendships, caring for the physical body as a recognition of human limitations, insisting their partner participate equally in the care of the household and childcare, and pursuing time of solitude and silence with God.

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