"The time for self" - realization of women on maternity leave

The topic of this paper is "me time" for women on maternity leave. The definition of "maternity leave" encompasses both maternity leave and parental leave. The theoretical portion of the paper is devoted primarily to motherhood, which is discussed from several points of view and is examined in various contexts. The practical part of the paper consists of qualitative research using the method of semi-structured interviews of mothers on maternity leave. The research questions relate to the women's perception of the concept of "me time" while on maternity leave, the attitudes perceived by women that individuals in the women's immediate environment have about their "me time", and, lastly, the change in activities that the women were involved in before they had children and their activities during maternity leave. The aim of the research is to examine how women on maternity experience this concept: how women fill this "me time", whether they are fulfilled, and what needs they have in this respect. The data was analyzed using the "case card" method. It was found that most mothers in the research group viewed the concept of "me time" as time when they are alone and can devote themselves to the activities they enjoy. The need for such alone time was found to be less important especially when the child was very young. A phenomenon of the perception of "me time" that included time spent alone with the woman's husband or partner emerged. In most cases, the environment looked positively on the woman's "me time" and supported her in her activities. The women's activities did not change significantly over time, but a significant change occurred in the number of opportunities the women on maternity had for themselves and for the activities they enjoy