‘I just get on with it’: narratives of women who become mothers during undergraduate study

The impact of education on individual women can be significant. However, practical issues, such as caring responsibilities, can restrict a woman’s experience of higher education. Little is known about the barriers and challenges facing women who become mothers while studying at undergraduate level. In this study, nine participants who had become a mother during the last three years, while also studying for an undergraduate qualification, were recruited for qualitative interviews via a post on university student Facebook page. The findings showed these women were managing competing demands and expectations while blending different aspects of their identity. It also showed that aspects of mothering while studying were highly motivational but at times restricted by time and childcare. Overall, the women had low expectations of support from the institution and reported ‘just getting on with it’. The authors discuss how universities can work with women to challenge these ‘norms of struggle’.