Sunday is Mother’s Day, which got me thinking a few things: 1) Time to introduce my mom to my new favorite treat. And 2) mothers are such amazing people.
There are so many moms out there who inspire me. Besides my own mother and the other remarkable women in my life I have been fortunate to learn from, the moms who top the list are those juggling work, kids and college simultaneously—and particularly those doing it without a partner—all to better the lives of their families.
According to data from the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, 4.8 million college students were also raising children in 2014. Mothers made up 71 percent of all student parents—and single mothers were 43 percent of the total student parent population.
College and parenthood are challenging enough when they’re taken on separately. To do both at the same time requires another level of determination—especially in a higher education system that wasn’t set up to serve working parents. Times have changed, and many colleges have been slow to respond. But a few have made innovative changes and there are signs that more are moving in the right direction.
In honor of all student moms and the colleges that are doing right by them, I revisited some of the media coverage given to this topic recently and recommend the following reads.
- WGBH On Campus: Few Colleges Give Special Attention To Single Parents
- The Chronicle of Higher Education: Students Can Be Parents, Too (op-ed)
- The Atlantic: The Quiet Struggle of College Students With Kids
- The Chronicle of Higher Education: College, With Kids
- The New York Times: College Kids, With Kids
This Mother’s Day, I wish all moms a wonderful day and want student moms, in particular, to know that they are amazing and I am humbled by the sacrifices they’re making to get their degree.