The Challenges Of Being a University Student and a Mom Essay

Within the growing number of women in higher education, there is a growing population of students who are also mothers. Mothers attempting to obtain a degree contend with home and family demands that affect their degree completion rates (Carney-Crompton Tan, 2002; Home, 1998). These postsecondary education students, unlike their traditional peers, are not developing into adult identities that are supported by a traditional college setting (Arnett, Ramos Jensen, 2001; Arnett, 2000) but instead already have an adult identity as a mother (Wilsey, 2013) with a different set of needs and because of the familial responsibility motherhood brings with it these women are no longer â€Å"traditional† students (Cross, 1981; Bean Metzer, 1985, 1987;†¦show more content†¦It is through better understanding the student mother experiences and the types of institutional supports they may or may not need that we can assist them in becoming more active members of the academy, stayin g in postsecondary education versus â€Å"stopping out† or â€Å"dropping out† and decrease the marginalization they experience in the traditional model of the university. Thus, the qualitative research study discussed in this paper was conducted in 2008-2009 and involved in-depth interviewing and a short survey. Furthermore, the sample that participated in this research study included 24 student mothers (ages 18-30) with children under the age of five, who are also enrolled part-time in undergraduate or graduate coursework (i.e., at least one class per semester). Mothers of children under five are unique because children within this age cohort are more dependent on their caregivers and are normally not in school full-time. Consequently, women’s motherhood responsibilities are less flexible than they might be in future years. The findings discussed in this article will address a portion of the overall outcomes from this research study focusing on the experience s these student mothers had with institutional support available via the university and the needs that the student mothers believe should be addressed by universities in order to improve the student mother educationalShow MoreRelatedAn Adult Woman With Kids Requires An Awesome Amount Of Insanity1167 Words   |  5 Pagescomes with a title called the as mother. Ask any student, he/she will tell you that being a student is the toughest job in the world. Juggling between the grades and credits, the classes and labs. Now consider a person doing both of these together. This is the life of a student mom. It is a challenge to understand that how a young mom balances both parenting and student life at the same time. Though few tricks and good management skills can make a student mom’s life much easier. 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