The hijacking of higher education for women in postwelfare America: a study of underserved and invisible low-income mothers on campus

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Publication Type dissertation
School or College College of Education
Department Educational Leadership & Policy
Author Swaner, Julie
Title The hijacking of higher education for women in postwelfare America: a study of underserved and invisible low-income mothers on campus
Date 2011-11
Description This research addressed the problem of women in welfare accessing higher education at Salt Lake Community College and the University of Utah. Gendered and entrenched patriarchal systems dominate institutional practice throughout the Department of Workforce Services (DWS), the agency that distributes welfare in Utah. The model and paradigm utilized in policy is that single mothers must operate as a masculine breadwinner. This assumption underlies policy, which is written in a gender-neutral fashion. The purpose of this study was to understand women‘s experiences, struggles, and supports during their attempt to move from poverty by obtaining a college degree. Using qualitative methods and a phenomenological design, I employed a multicultural feminist lens to these women‘s experiences, as they navigated school and welfare and juggled family responsibilities and classroom obligations. Women in welfare face various jeopardies of race, class, and have been stereotyped and maligned. As such the challenges they face are often uniquely different than the typical student. Implications for policy, practice, and research regarding the experiences of these women at academic institutions are examined. I analyzed ways in which welfare and institutional policies and practice make the journey arduous and isolated. These women were invisible on campus and as such, were underserved. I explored ways that policy and institutional practice may ameliorate this problem. Finally, I reflected on questions and topics for future research.
Type Text
Publisher University of Utah
Subject American dream; Gender stratification; Policy construction; Poverty and class issues; Welfare analysis
Dissertation Institution University of Utah
Dissertation Name Doctor of Philosophy
Language eng
Rights Management Copyright © Julie Swaner 2011
Format Medium application/pdf
Format Extent 2,196,540 bytes
Identifier us-etd3,77730
Source original in Marriott Library Special Collections; LA7.5 2011 .S83
ARK ark:/87278/s6tb1nn5
Setname ir_etd
ID 194638
Reference URL https://collections.lib.utah.edu/ark:/87278/s6tb1nn5