Failure is not an option: The stories of mothering and fathering Ph.D. students seeking their doctoral degrees at a Midwestern predominately white institution as individuals with racially diverse intersecting identities and family responsibilities

Most higher education student support services and resources do not pertain to parenting doctoral students' needs. Therefore, mothering and fathering students are left thinking they are alone in navigating their degrees independently. The primary goal of my study is to learn from the perspectives of mothering and fathering doctoral students. I want to understand how parental status and other intersectional identities influence the experiences of mothering and fathering Ph.D. students. Secondly, I am interested in learning about their challenges as Ph.D. students with dependents seeking their doctorate at a research-intensive institution in the Midwest. Thirdly, I want to learn about the support doctoral students need to help them care for their children, financially provide for their household, and attain their advanced degrees. My dissertation is a qualitative study guided by an intersectional theoretical framework. I interviewed eight mothering and five fathering doctoral students from racially diverse backgrounds and ages. Findings reveal how determined mothers and fathers are in caring and providing for their children of different ages and needs. Being a positive role model in their children's lives was the primary means of attaining an advanced education. Thoughts of guilt were a common emotion reported by all 13 participants regardless of race, gender, age, marital status, and financial status. Mothers and fathers struggled with managing time between their children, studies, and assistantships. Each participant reported physical changes in health and high-stress levels as a concern. When I asked about their support system, they said their immediate and extended families, local communities, and graduate peers contributed to their ability to provide care for their children and manage their doctoral program expectations. Participants emphasized that they would not have maintained their doctorate program attendance without the love and support of their families, children, and colleagues. This dissertation contributes to the literature on underrepresented diverse populations in doctoral education. It also contributes to the first-generation graduate and doctoral student literature that misses the voices of mothering and fathering students representing diverse backgrounds and intersecting identities. Finally, this study adds to the growing ideology and theoretical approach to intersectionality.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Educ Policy, Orgzn & Leadrshp

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2022

Author dc:creator

• Perez, Marielisbet

Contributors dc:contributor

• Del Real Viramontes, José
• Dixson, Adrienne D
• Zamani-Gallaher, Eboni
• Dyson, Anne H

• Mothering students
• fathering students
• doctoral education
• first-generation
• intersectionality

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2022 Marielisbet Perez

Language dc:language

en, eng

Handle dc:identifier

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/115931

OAI record oai:identifier

https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=etdms&identifier=oai%3Awww.ideals.illinois.edu%3A2142%2F115931