Date

9-17-2026

Department

School of Behavioral Sciences

Degree

Doctor of Education in Community Care and Counseling (EdD)

Chair

Jerra Dooley

Keywords

Mozambican women, divorce, marital conflict, post-divorce adjustment, divorce transition, women's lived experiences, Schlossberg's Transition Theory, phenomenology, meaning-making, lobolo, gender and culture, Christian women

Disciplines

Counseling | Education

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to understand the transitional experiences of women in Mozambique from marital conflict through post-divorce life. It was guided by Schlossberg's Transition Theory (STT). The theory supported exploration of the psychological, social, and cultural dimensions of women’s lived experiences of divorce and patterns surfaced that deepened understanding of their realities. Using an interpretive phenomenological design, data were collected from 15 women, aged 19 and older, residing in Mozambique, who had experienced marriage and divorce, through a demographic questionnaire and semi-structured interviews. The data were analyzed using the Moustakas’ phenomenological approach, including horizonalization and clustering verified through NVivo coding. This process generated textural and structural descriptions of participants’ lived experiences. Six themes emerged, namely, (1) Marriage Expectations, Roles, and Sociocultural Context, (2) Marital Conflict, Betrayal, and Breakdown, (3) The Divorce Decision and Process, (4) Support Systems Through Transition, (5) Post-Divorce Adjustment and Rebuilding, and (6) Healing, Meaning Making, and Transformation. The findings showed that inherited expectations of marital stability gradually gave way to conflict, infidelity, or abuse. The decision to divorce emerged cumulatively rather than as a single event. Legal processes, support, and post-divorce rebuilding unfolded unevenly and often depended on unexpected sources of help rather than family. Healing and meaning making remained an ongoing process, most often reframed within religious or vocational narratives. The essence of the phenomenon was a movement from an inherited meaning to a self-authored understanding of marriage, divorce, and post-divorce life. This insight offers counselors, psychologists, policymakers, and religious leaders a deeper understanding of Mozambican women’s experiences of divorce.

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