AMMARA HASMI2025-11-262025-11-262019https://escholar.umt.edu.pk/handle/123456789/13063Mother holds a significant position of reverence in the familial and cultural paradigms of pronatal societies. The experience of becoming a mother or not being able to become a mother therefore has certain psychological and social implications for the woman. Using mixed-method approach, this research explored the perception of motherhood in Pakistan. Study I used an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis to qualitatively explore the perception of motherhood. The sample of twelve women was drawn using purposive and snowball sampling techniques while data was collected through semi-structured interviews. Study II used a quantitative approach in order to explore the perception of motherhood in general adult population. The sample of two hundred and frothy adults was deployed using convenience sampling to develop, construct and validate an indigenous scale by using Exploratory Factor Analysis. The data revealed that the perception of motherhood was largely an expression of widely held cultural notions and personal psychological experiences, which makes it a psychosocial construct. Furthermore, it was found that the personal experiences of the selected sample contributed to an emerging perception, which challenges the established social paradigms about motherhood.en-USThesis