Struggles, coping mechanisms, and insights of childless teachers in the Philippines: A descriptive phenomenological approach

Abstract

The phenomenon of childlessness has elicited interest among professionals all over the world. However, this phenomenon received little interest, particularly in the Philippine context. The purpose of this study was to describe the struggles, coping mechanisms, and insights of childless teachers in the Philippines. We employed a descriptive phenomenological research design. Ten childless teachers participated in the semi-structured key informant interview (KII), and the data were analyzed using Colaizzi’s method. Results revealed the following themes: embarrassment, incompleteness, and pressures for their struggles; escapism and optimism for their coping mechanism; and work commitment and acceptance for their insights. Although being childless continued to be a challenge in their married life, the informants found a way to be happy and considered their situation as a plus factor, particularly in being available and committed to their teaching job.