Abstract

CARVALHO, HELENA CATHARINA LYRIO DE  and  RAMOS, DENISE GIMENEZ. Self-esteem and quality of life of women without children - a Jungian view. Bol. - Acad. Paul. Psicol. [online]. 2023, vol.43, n.105, pp.190-201.  Epub Nov 04, 2024. ISSN 1415-711X.  https://doi.org/10.5935/2176-3038.20230014.

Aiming to investigate and compare self-esteem and perception of quality of life of voluntarily childless and infertile women, we carried out a sequential mixed study. Quantitative data came from an online questionnaire that included sociodemographic questions, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (EAR) and the WHOQOL-Bref. Participants were 132 women, residents of Greater São Paulo, SP, aged over 50 years, who, regardless of marital status, were not and had not been mothers. From this group, seven women participated in the qualitative stage, which included a semi-structured interview and the use of drawing as an expressive technique. The identified themes were analyzed by applying the theoretical framework of Analytical Psychology. Global quantitative results indicate that there is no statistically significant difference between women who chose not to have children and infertile women, in terms of self-esteem and perception of quality of life, both variables being, on average, at the upper end of the scales. Reports and graphic productions reinforced quantitative findings to the extent that, regardless of the group they belonged to, most interviewees expressed satisfaction with themselves and with their life trajectory. From a Jungian perspective, the set of results points to non-maternity, by choice or infertility, as a condition compatible with one of the many possibilities of being a woman.

Keywords : self-esteem; quality of life; infertility; childless women; Analytical Psychology.

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