Purpose: To examine the influence of family, past and current, on married women family physicians' and to understand why and how some women continue to practise obstetrics.
Participants: Purposive sample of nine married women family physicians who currently practise obstetrics.
Method: Qualitative in-depth interviews.
Findings: Analysis identified four main influences of family on participants' practice of obstetrics: family of origin, transitions in the life cycle, children, and the marital relationship.
Conclusions: These women described how they combined the roles of wife, mother, daughter, sister, and doctor. Family was a powerful influence throughout their practice lives. Finding a balance between the demands of practice, particularly obstetrics, and family relationships was an ongoing process. The process was also influenced by transitions in the life cycle.