The present study evaluated the experience of burnout among mothers who attended a psychology graduate school program. Eight individuals who identified as mothers participated in the qualitative study. Participants were asked questions that targeted the experience of burnout in a semi-structured interview. The Reissman narrative model, which also…

This article examines how the COVID-19 pandemic impacts five MotherScholars, mothers and scholars blending their maternal and academic identities, through the use of interactive interviewing, autoethnography, and narrative. The narratives are presented from four distinct times during the first 10-months of the COVID-19 pandemic: beginning (March…

The number of single mothers continues to grow across the nation, and many are at a socioeconomic disadvantage. Little research focuses, however, on how single mothers describe their experiences of balancing motherhood, work, and pursuing higher education, all while undergoing food insecurity. Lazarus and Folkman's transactional theory of stress…

Women with children are one of the growing student sub-populations in higher education. However, the support student mothers receive in colleges and universities has been historically unreliable and their experiences in college have not been studied in depth. This is especially true for student mothers from minoritized backgrounds with differing…

In this article, the author discusses how her mother's death uncovers the implications of how people do not deal with grief in higher education, as well as what that means about the work alongside students and each other.

The Institute for Women's Policy Studies (2017, September) reported that only eight percent of single mothers enrolled in higher education completed their studies and graduated with a degree in six years. This may be due to a lack of social support and not using the counseling services for their own well-being. Studies show that behavioral…

Student parents may feel invisible on college campuses, especially student mothers, who often feel ignored and overlooked when institutional policies and practices are not tailored to their needs and challenges. These students are especially vulnerable to withdrawing from college, even in institutional contexts that boast a positive and welcoming…

This study aimed to critically explore and analyze the experiences of Black mothers who work in student affairs. Using Black Feminist Thought and a critical constructivist framework, this study sought to analyze how race and gender interacted for Black women who work in student affairs. Black women experience both racism and sexism in the…

The growing number of working mothers, dual career couples, and working single parents raises concerns about the impact of work stress on family lifestyles and their ability to balance work and family obligations. The aim of this study is to examine the role of social workers in promoting work-life balance among working mothers at the University…

The literature on adult students, and in particular, graduate students with children, reveals that female students often struggle to balance their studies and home life due to juggling multiple roles. To date, research on student mothers has primarily focused on domestic students, with few studies examining the experiences of international student…

This study examined the characteristics of class activism in a community college as demonstrated by single mothers, first-generation students from peripheral regions. Building on theories of class and intersectionality, we wished to understand the ways in which single mothers conceptualize their experience in academia, as individuals and as a…

The increasing prevalence of single-parent households, particularly among Black single mothers, presents unique challenges in higher education. Historically Black Community Colleges (HBCCs) serve a significant proportion of non-traditional students, including single parents. However, little research addresses how HBCC leadership can effectively…

Despite considerable evidence that attachment theory is a valuable framework for understanding educational outcomes, associations between attachment representations, academic burnout, engagement, and drop-out have been largely overlooked. In this study, 290 first-year post-secondary students completed attachment, academic burnout, and academic…

Student affairs professionals tend to face unrealistic workplace demands. Finding time for personal responsibilities while juggling the demands of a job that often requires a 24/7 commitment is more of a goal than an achievement. Compared with their married, cohabitating, or childless counterparts, single mothers struggle more significantly with…

Current life in the US under the COVID-19 pandemic makes visible the fragility of supportive structures for academics with childcare responsibilities. Particularly academic mothers are left grappling with the impact of social and institutional shifts that took place due to the global pandemic. We, two early career multinational and Muslim…