Women in many fields have described challenges during their doctoral work due to pregnancy and parenting, but no research has explored these issues within social work education. This cross-sectional survey describes pregnant and parenting female students' (N=75) experiences in social work doctoral education. Participants identified challenges in…

Using Acker's theory of gendered organizations, this study explored the experiences of pregnant doctoral students, the organizational processes that influenced their experiences, and the ways students perceived pregnancy impacting career development and trajectory, if at all. Using a mixed methods survey of women who were pregnant during their…

This descriptive study used a mixed-methods approach to explore social work dissertation committee chairs' (N = 150) conceptualizations of their role including their understanding of successful relationships, perceptions, and experiences with the scope of the role. Most chairs had no formal training and learned through their own experiences as…

Female doctoral students with children face significant barriers to successful program completion, leaving programs at higher rates than students without children. This qualitative study (N=28) explored female doctoral students' experiences with institutional and programmatic supports during their pregnancy and transition to parenthood within…

Mentorship is an important component of doctoral program success, providing socialization to the profession and academia, professional development, and psychosocial support. For women in particular, mentoring increases feelings of preparedness, self-esteem, and rates of program completion. Within a gendered institution like academia, which does…