Motherhood Experiences of Postgraduate Students at the University of Nairobi, Kenya
Abstract
This study evaluated the motherhood experiences of post-graduate students in Kenya. Combining motherhood and studying without compromising the activities of either one is a great dilemma for female student parents. This study sought to analyze the multiple roles of mothers in post-graduate studies, examine the benefits of post-graduate studies to student mothers, explore the challenges student mothers face in balancing motherhood and post-graduate studies and evaluate coping strategies of student mothers in pursuit of their careers.
Theoretical basis was drawn from social learning, role and structuration theories to guide and explain experiences of the study participants as both mothers and students. This study used a phenomenology study design that involved the use of in-depth interviews to collect
data from the thirty-two female students enrolled for post-graduate studies at the University of Nairobi. As an inclusion criterion, only post graduate students self reporting to have children below the age of 18 were enrolled in the study.
Data gathered from student mothers was read and re-read for like phrases and themes that were then grouped to form clusters of meaning. Through this process, the researcher constructed the universal meaning of student mothers’ experiences and arrived at a more profound understanding of the phenomenon, hence, supportive verbatim have been used in the text during presentation of the findings.
The findings of the study revealed that student mothers experienced conflict between various role commitments they often balanced such as childcare, domestic work, and academic responsibilities. Even though adjusting childcare obligations and student roles appeared to be hard to student mothers, they surmounted these challenges with exceedingly good organization, sound time management and by receiving family support. Further, yearning for individual accomplishment and the chance to make a better future for their families particularly their offsprings unequivocally inspired student mothers. This inspiration is an obvious observation showing that post-graduate education rewarded women with a sense of freedom, development, pride, and accomplishment and also built up their professions or careers.
Additionally, the post-graduate studies offer self-actualization platform where students reported developing and building up their capacities while bringing up their offsprings. The study concludes that the researcher’s labeling of struggles and juggles in the lives of student mothers who study at post-graduate level was not accurate. This is because while women confirmed that the experiences during their study were challenging at times, they considered it to have positive, rather than negative impact on their lives. Therefore, this study turned out to be a robust utilization of cross-checking because student mothers rectified the researcher. The input unearthed from this research brought about an alternate understanding of encounters of student mothers at post-graduate level.
This study recommends that university departments be considerate to student mothers and if possible work with specific students to identify and address their needs. Post-graduate student mothers need to communicate with other household members of their added obligations and how the learning may impacted them. The government and universities should develop policies and procedures to address unique needs of student mothers, devise programs for identifying student mothers at a higher risk of dropping out and put in place measures for their retention. Further research should compare the circumstances of post-graduate mothers in different universities and faculties in Kenya. Also, new research should explore specific family variables such as the experiences of single mothers pursuing post-graduate education.
Citation
Doctor of Philosophy in African Women StudiesPublisher
University of Nairobi