Constructivist Grounded Theory of Career Resilience Among Female Graduates Navigating Unemployment in Lagos State

Career resilience in the face of graduate unemployment is an increasingly important construct for understanding how young Nigerian women reconstruct career meaning and sustain vocational motivation in adverse labour market conditions. This study developed a constructivist grounded theory of career resilience among female graduates navigating unemployment in Lagos State, South West Nigeria. Charmaz's constructivist grounded theory methodology was employed. Data were collected through 70 intensive interviews and 8 theoretical sampling focus groups with unemployed female graduates across twelve months in Ikeja, Surulere, and Alimosho local government areas. Simultaneous coding, focused coding, and theoretical integration guided analysis to theoretical saturation. The resulting substantive grounded theory identified a three-stage process: occupational identity crisis, social reanchoring, and adaptive re-orientation, mediated by what participants termed purposive waiting, a culturally grounded form of hopeful delay rooted in spiritual and communal support. The theory extends existing Western career resilience models by foregrounding collectivist coping mechanisms and spiritual meaning-making as core resilience processes. It challenges individualist assumptions in career counselling and proposes a communal career resilience model for guidance practice with unemployed young women in Nigerian urban contexts. The study contributes an original theoretical framework and methodology-in-practice for career counselling research in Nigeria. Keywords: career resilience, constructivist grounded theory, female graduates, unemployment, Lagos State.