Study of the Identity of Women Without Children

―A consideration of the identity status of middle aged women―

Abstract

　　The purpose of this study is to investigate how the middle-aged women without children acquired their present identity status, according to the classification of Kato (1983), though the case study of 3 women, 35 years old and over.

　　One of the women is classified as diffusion-moratorium status (D-M), as she is not sure whether she wantsa child or not, and she did not commit herself to anything, dealing with no crisis during her adolescence.

　　Another woman is classified as the moratorium status (M), because she has been dealing with the problem of independence from her parents and she recognises herself as dependent.

　　The other woman is classified as achievement status (A), who has confidence in herself as a woman, and is stable, committing herself to the work and relationship with the intimate partner.

　　The differences of the identity status are considered to be the result of each woman in working through the outer space crises (vocation and value) and the inner space crisis (human relationship) during her adolescence.

　　All three have dealt with the crises with the same attitude until today as they dealt with them in their adolescence.

　　This study shows the different pathways women without children would take to reach the different identities status.