Professional Working Mothers Who Persist to Doctoral Degree Completion: A Transcendental Phenomenological Study

• In Event: Women, Parenthood, and College Access

Abstract

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to describe the experiences of professional, full-time working mothers who successfully persisted to complete a doctorate degree in education. Data collection included a questionnaire, life map, Division of Household Roles Survey, and a semi-structured interview. The researcher used a phenomenological seven-step data analysis. The findings indicated women felt their abilities, personal ambition, and the potential professional opportunities provided with a doctoral degree outweighed the negative stigma of returning to school as a full-time working mother. Doctoral mothers persisted to completion with tenacity, well-rounded support systems, and self-regulation. Future research is needed to develop better academic and social support for doctoral moms without the needed support to be successful during the doctoral journey.

Authors

• Lisa Hall Foster, Liberty University

• Brianne Bruscino