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The perils of parenting: a phenomenological study of the unpartnered mother scholar experience

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dc.contributor.authorKopp, Claire, author
dc.contributor.authorBarone, Ryan, advisor
dc.contributor.authorJennings, Louise, committee member
dc.contributor.authorKent, Suzanne, committee member
dc.contributor.authorReynolds, Cerisa, committee member
dc.date.accessioned2024-05-27T10:32:47Z
dc.date.available2024-05-27T10:32:47Z
dc.date.issued2024
dc.description.abstractAs recent attacks on the rights of women and gender minorities exemplify, sexism and gender privilege are structural forces ingrained in the fabric of U.S. society. Unfortunately, higher education is not immune to such structural forces and can reinforce the power associated with gender privilege. This phenomenological research study, in concert with my own recollections and anecdotes, critically examines how structures within higher education support the empowerment of privilege through the stigma of unpartnered motherhood and the femininization of caregiving. The study explores the experiences of nine unpartnered student parents who directly encounter significant structural barriers related to sexism and gender privilege. Through narrative-storytelling and poetic analysis, this study documents the lived experiences of nine diverse unpartnered mothers living with extreme precarity, facing incredible uphill struggles to make a new and better life for themselves and their children. The research findings uncover a high level of mental health challenge for unpartnered mothers and their children but also a high level of motivation and desire to succeed within their selected programs. The study also uncovers how capitalist influenced ideals of motherhood conflict with standards of ideal scholarship to create an identity crisis whereby one is forced to choose between being a good scholar or a good mother. Practical recommendations are provided for service providers including administrators, faculty, and student service units.
dc.format.mediumborn digital
dc.format.mediumdoctoral dissertations
dc.identifierKopp_colostate_0053A_18214.pdf
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10217/238472
dc.languageEnglish
dc.language.isoeng
dc.publisherColorado State University. Libraries
dc.relation.ispartof2020-
dc.rightsCopyright and other restrictions may apply. User is responsible for compliance with all applicable laws. For information about copyright law, please see https://libguides.colostate.edu/copyright.
dc.subjectcommunity college student services
dc.subjectphenomenology in education
dc.subjectstructural sexism
dc.subjectfeminist analysis of caregiving
dc.subjectcaregiving in higher education
dc.subjectsingle parents
dc.titleThe perils of parenting: a phenomenological study of the unpartnered mother scholar experience
dc.typeText
dcterms.rights.dplaThis Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights (https://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/). You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).
thesis.degree.disciplineEducation
thesis.degree.grantorColorado State University
thesis.degree.levelDoctoral
thesis.degree.nameDoctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

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