Millennial motherhood : a holistic single-case study on leadership behaviors exhibited in personal best parenting experiences.

Millennial mothers contend with parenting demands that have intensified alongside shifting cultural norms and rising expectations to manage emotional, logistical, and relational responsibilities with ease. The evolving conditions of modern motherhood present an opportunity to better understand how millennial mothers navigate the dynamics shaped by generational influences. Despite the parallels with leadership qualities, literature has rarely recognized motherhood as a context in which leadership is actively practiced. The purpose of this study was to explore how millennial mothers demonstrate The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership (Kouzes & Posner, 1987) in their personal best parenting experiences. This qualitative holistic single-case study explored the lived experiences of millennial mothers, born between 1981 and 1996, whose oldest child was between the ages of 5–12 at the time of the study. Participants shared personal best parenting moments through questionnaire submissions, and five mothers were selected for follow-up interviews. The case was bound by the participants’ shared generational identity and stage of motherhood. Each participant’s story illuminated different dimensions of the case, occurring at varied points in their motherhood journeys and within diverse family and contextual circumstances. The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership framework grounded the study, enabling a detailed understanding of the leadership behaviors mothers demonstrated during their personal best parenting moments. Findings revealed a strong alignment between The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership and the behaviors described by participants, illuminating that leadership is present in motherhood experiences. Enable Others to Act was the most frequently represented category in the data, and cooperation was the most frequently described behavior, highlighting the relevance of collaboration and empowerment in modern motherhood. Emotional intelligence and generational change emerged as themes among the participant stories and further emphasized four of the five theoretical framework categories. This study contributed to leadership scholarship by positioning motherhood as a relevant context for leadership. The findings offered implications for millennial mothers as they continue to evolve in their mothering journey and for leadership development professionals seeking to support mothers as leaders.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ed.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Doctoral

Grantor

Baylor University.

Year dc:date.issued

2026

Author dc:creator

• Majka, Brittney, 1986-

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Kelley, Shane.

• Leadership.
• Motherhood.
• Millennials.

Statement dc:rights

• Baylor University works are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. Contact libraryquestions@baylor.edu for inquiries about permission.

Language dc:language.iso

en

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/2104/14705

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:baylor-ir.tdl.org:2104/14705