This study investigates the well-being challenges faced by educated housewives in Malaysia, a group that frequently combines highly educational attainment with full-time domestic responsibilities. Researchers use a qualitative case study approach to investigate the lived experiences of seven PhD qualified housewives under the age of 45 and having at least one child under the age of 12. In-depth interviews were used to gather information about the various challenges face by educated housewives in daily life. The study identified three main themes including physical, psychological and social. Exhaustion from managing household responsibilities, psychological struggles caused by feelings of underappreciation, isolation, stress from unmet personal aspirations and social constraints influenced by societal expectations. Notably, these difficulties were discovered to be temporary, primarily occurring during the coping and adapting phase of transitioning into the housewife role, especially when children are still in their early developmental stages. These findings highlight the complex and often invisible pressures experienced by highly educated housewives. The study has several implications, including increased societal awareness of the invisible labour and psychological cost borne by educated housewife, the development of community-based programs that promote intellectual engagement, social support and personal development for housewife. Finally, the study advances our understanding of how education, identity and domestic life interconnected, laying the groundwork for future research and interventions aimed at improving the well-being of highly educated housewife.
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