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…

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 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…

Women with families face particular challenges when they undertake Higher Education. Questions arise about coping with the demands of study, new family routines, and the changed identity when mother becomes student: Can I manage it all? How will my family react? Will they give me the time and support I need? The author, herself a mother and…

While student parents now represent a significant proportion of the higher education population in England, this group has been given limited consideration in policy circles. Using a social constructivist and feminist theoretical framework, this paper draws on a research project investigating the role of higher education policies in supporting…

Many Latina students overcome multiple obstacles to earn university degrees. Five married Latina women with children and seasonal farmworker backgrounds are the focus of this study which is analyzed through resiliency theory to understand factors contributing to their academic resilience. Variables connected to academic success are explored and…

Interviews with 10 female reentry students at a large Canadian university were used to study the intersection of mother, student, and family roles. Their management strategies involved interactions with self, primary relationships, and institutions. They built supports into their lives to accommodate the competing demands of different roles. (JOW)

The mother of a son with dyslexia recounts her efforts to help him, by removing the "negatives and stress-makers" from his life, by breaking every piece of information into its smallest components, and by finding something at which he could really excel. Problems and successes during adolescence are recounted, as well as the son's initial year at…

Single mothers on welfare were recruited for a program at Trinity College of Vermont using a variety of methods: newspaper advertisements, admission office applicants, and welfare office solicitation. Eligible for the program were single mothers on welfare meeting all Trinity College entrance requirements and having an interest in and commitment…

Explored stress, career satisfaction, career commitment, personal resources, and coping strategies for single, single-parent, married, and married-parent academic women (n=141). Results indicated single women had significantly higher levels of stress symptoms than married-parent women. Single women did not differ from multiple-role colleagues in…

Colleges and universities must become aware of the growing number of students who are mothers, considering programs and policies enabling them to combine and cope with the demands of academics, home, and work. Needs of these students include improved programs, schedules, child care, financial aid, housing, and support systems. (MSE)

A study of 276 women aged 35-64 re-entering higher education used the life-event framework to focus on stresses of university life, coping methods, and adaptations to school demands. Subgroup (women with young families and mature families) experiences were compared. Each had different motives, strains, and coping methods. Program options are…