Single Mothers' Voices: Pursuing a College Degree While Working in Non-Traditional Occupations

Little is known or understood about the intimate experiences of single mothers and how they navigate being both mother and a college student while working in non-traditional occupations. Pertaining to gender, non-traditional occupations are defined in the literature as those occupations that are disproportionately filled by a specific gender. Examples of non-traditional occupations for females are jobs that are typically dominated by men, such as construction workers, truck drivers, police officers, and fire fighters, to name a few. Despite the wide range of research exploring the experiences of working mothers today, there is little literature focusing on single mothers who work in what society may stigmatize or deem as unconventional occupations while simultaneously pursing a college degree. This study examines the overarching research question: What are the lived experiences of single mothers who are employed in non-traditional occupations while pursuing a college degree? The research utilizes a qualitive narrative inquiry approach which allows these single mothers to narrate their private experiences working a non-traditional occupation while pursuing a college degree. The theoretical framework that guided this study was Norman Garmezy's Resilience Theory. The theory consists of four central constructs: Risk factors, motivation, protective factors, and vulnerability. In-depth qualitive interviews with participants provided rich narrative data for analysis to address their individual paths to higher education and the success and challenges that they faced while attending college. The researcher was able to unearth five major themes which identified key meanings and attitudes that connect to the main and overarching theory of resilience: Planning strategically; growth and confidence in their newfound strength; making sacrifices; faith; and lack of organizational support. The results of this study provided insightful information for higher education institutions, faculty, and administrators to better meet the needs of single mothers who are working non-traditional occupations while pursuing a college degree. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]