‘ I Give Priority to My Family Over My Wishes… ’: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of Obligation, Autonomy, and Relational Negotiation Among Single- versus Dual-Employed Indian Families

Family structures in contemporary societies are undergoing significant reconfiguration, with dual-employed-parent households increasingly reshaping norms around caregiving, emotional availability, and intergenerational obligation. While these transitions have drawn attention, limited research has examined how young adults subjectively experience and interpret relational demands within differing household configurations. Using interpretative phenomenological analysis, our study explored the lived experiences of 32 young adults in urban India (15 from single-employed -parent and 17 from dual-employed -parent households). Findings indicate that single-employed -parent families were associated with emotional proximity and structured stability alongside heightened expectations and constrained autonomy, whereas dual-employed -parent households offered greater opportunity and decision-making agency amid emotionally fragmented environments. Across both contexts, young adults engaged in adaptive relational labor shaped by gender norms and economic constraints. These findings conceptualize family life as a dynamic relational system and offer key aspects related to systemic family therapy, keeping the focus on how obligation, autonomy, and emotional regulation are negotiated within contemporary family systems.