Riding a rollercoaster with the jugglers: exploring the experiences of student-mothers undertaking online and on-campus degree programmes

Despite the increasing number of mature students in higher education, neither the sector nor the literature adequately considers how their responsibilities and cultural positioning may impact integration and performance. This exploratory study considers the lived experience and oppression valance of student-mothers at a UK university. Findings highlight that many have negligible support and undertake childcare, household maintenance and income generation in addition to their academic work. These conflicting demands create role-incongruity and infeasible logistical demands. Drawing upon social dominance theory, it is argued that the inequalities faced by student-mothers are reflective of neoliberal, capitalist and patriarchal ideals that undervalue women, augmented by sociostructural and institutional sciolism. The authors conclude that higher education institutions could improve student experience, retention and outcomes by recognising and addressing the hierarchy-attenuating position of student-mothers and acknowledge that the cultural construction of ‘motherhood’ has been used to legitimise student-mothers’ restricted access to support and resources.