Adult
Women in Community Colleges
ERIC Clearinghouse for Community Colleges
By Janene White
EDO-JC-01-01
January, 2001
Female students have outnumbered male students in higher education for nearly
30 years. In 1997, women comprised 55% of undergraduate students and almost
58% of the students at community colleges (Phillippe, 2000). About half of the
female student population is adult women age 25 years or older. Over 1.6 million
adult women attend community colleges, about 25% of the total student body (Phillippe,
2000). This digest reviews some of the recent literature about adult female
students at community colleges. Their motivations, unique needs, and barriers
to entry are discussed, as well as ways institutions can enhance the educational
experience for adult women.
Why Do Adult Women Enroll
in Community Colleges?
Adult students typically enter higher education for work-related goals and family
responsibilities. Johnson, Schwartz and Bower (2000) found that adult women
students are often motivated to return to school after the "loss of a job,
divorce, death of a spouse, and career limitations due to lack of education"
(p. 291). Oftentimes the impetus for adult women to return to school is a personal,
life-changing event. Changes such as children leaving the home or divorce have
been documented as influencing adult women's desire to reenter higher education
(Mohney and Anderson, 1988).
About three-fourths of adult women are enrolled on a part-time basis (Phillippe,
2000). Women pursue their community college studies on a part-time basis for
a number of reasons, including family obligations, the need to work for economic
security, and child care concerns. Griffith and Connor (1994) note that for
community college students, "attendance behaviors…are more dependent on
their personal lives, their job lives, the outside world, than on anything happening
within the college" (p. 20). The increase in divorce rates in recent years,
as well as the high number of single-parent households headed by women, has
led many adult women to view the community college as a good way to further
their education and achieve greater economic security and a better standard
of living for themselves and their children (Herideen, 1998).
The desire to enter the work force or to improve current job situations is an
important factor in adult women's decision to return to school (Read, Elliott,
Escobar, & Slaney, 1988). This is especially important for divorced women
returning to higher education (MacKinnon-Slaney, Barber & Slaney, 1988).
The need to contribute to the family income or to gain financial independence
is another reason adult women return to higher education (Holliday, 1985). In
a literature review, Padula (1994) found that in all studies, vocational factors
were an important source of motivation for adult women returning to higher education.
Role Conflict of Adult
Women Students
A primary challenge and source of stress for adult women students comes from
the multiple and sometimes conflicting roles they must play in their daily lives.
Mohney and Anderson (1988) found that role demands - family responsibilities
in addition to career or job demands, are a major obstacle for returning women,
and often impede their successful adaptation of the additional role of student.
Based on a survey of 119 reentry women 25 years of age and older, Read et al.
(1988) suggested that the multiple roles of wife, mother, employee, may lead
to discomfort or even feelings of guilt about adopting the additional role of
student.
In a survey of 350 adult female students, Johnson, Schwartz, and Bower (2000)
found that 84% of the women were responsible for children in the home and suggested
that "one of the most pressing concerns among students who are parents
is child care" (p. 292). Child care facilities on campus offer a highly
valuable resource for these students. Fadale and Winter (1991) reported similar
findings in their study of New York community colleges. In their study, 500
student parents, 95% of whom were female, stated that the campus child care
facilities contributed not only to their academic success, but also to their
continued enrollment and persistence.
Recommendations for Community
College Practice
The unique characteristics and experiences of this nontraditional female population
result in support and counseling needs that differ from those of traditional
age college students. Increased awareness of the stresses, challenges, and additional
responsibilities faced by adult re-entry women can be helpful to administrators
and student services personnel interested in providing a supportive environment.
Campus-Based Support Network
Considering the circumstances surrounding the adult woman's decision to return
to school, providing a support network is another programmatic effort that may
ease the transition and encourage these women to continue their studies. An
orientation program for this population is one way to introduce adult women
to the campus and other similar students, as well as publicize support services
for this specific population (Johnson, Schwartz & Bower, 2000) suggested.
McClary (1990) suggested that instruction in relaxation techniques and stress
management can be helpful in easing the transition to education. Because adult
women typically return to the community college during transitional or vulnerable
stages in their lives, and oftentimes must maintain additional responsibilities
related to other role demands, a support network is especially important.
Career Development
Career development for reentry women students at the community college is another
area where programming efforts may be helpful, particularly in light of the
importance of vocational considerations in the adult woman's decision to return
to college. Healy and Reilly (1989) surveyed nearly 3000 students from 10 California
community colleges in an analysis of the career counseling needs of community
college students. Results indicate that although students of all ages need career
exploration assistance, the ways students go about investigating various opportunities
may differ for traditional age students versus adult students. Given the additional
role demands facing adult women, this is especially important and administrators
must closely examine the services to ensure the needs of this population are
not ignored.
Child-Care Facilities
Given the large number of women students who are responsible for children, providing
a safe place for children while the mother is on campus could alleviate some
of the stress of going to school. Research presented in this paper illustrates
the significance of child-care issues in the lives of adult female students.
Alleviating this as a concern could provide additional encouragement for this
population to persist in their academic pursuits. Federal funds for campus child
care centers are available through the Child Care Access Means Parents in Schools
program. Through this $25 million program, colleges are eligible for grants
of up to one percent of the Pell Grant dollars awarded to their students (Yachnin,
2001).
Conclusion
The community college is the principal educational resource for adult re-entry
women, and this population makes up a large portion of the student body at these
institutions. As a result, community college leaders need to be aware of the
experiences and context in which reentry women are coming to back to school,
and provide support services and programs based on their specific needs to encourage
their persistence.
References
Fadale, L. M., & Winter, G. M. (1991). Campus-based child care and the academic
success of student-parents. Community College Journal of Research and Practice,
15, 15-123. (EJ426115)
Griffith, M., & Connor, A. (1994). Democracy's open door: The community
college in America's future. Portsmouth: Boynton/Cook Publishers, Inc. (ED368433)
Healy, C. C., & Reilly, K. C. (1989). Career needs of community college
students: Implications for services and theory. Journal of College Student
Development, 30, 541-545. (EJ406593)
Herideen, P. E. (1998). Policy, pedagogy, and social inequality: Community
college student realities in post-industrial America. Westport: Bergin &
Garvey.
Holliday, G. (1985). Addressing the concerns of returning women students. New
Directions for Student Services, 29, 61-73.
Johnson, L.G., Schwartz, R. A., & Bower, B. L. (2000). Managing stress among
adult women students in community colleges. Community College Journal of
Research and Practice, 24, 289-300.
Mohney, C., & Anderson, W. (1988). The effect of life events and relationships
on adult women's decisions to enroll in college. Journal of Counseling and
Development, 66, 271-274. (EJ370020)
MacKinnon-Slaney, F., Barber, S. L., and Slaney, R. B. (1988). Marital status
as a mediating factor on the career aspirations of re-entry female students.
Journal of College Student Development, 29, 327-334. (EJ383508)
McClary, S. A. (1990). Stress, coping, and adult education. New Directions
for Adult and Continuing Education, 45, 65-75. (EJ412688)
Padula, M. A. (1994). Reentry women: A literature review with recommendations
for counseling and research. Journal of Counseling and Development, 73,
10-16. (EJ502614)
Phillippe, K.A. (ed.). (2000). National profile of community colleges: Trends
and statistics 3rd edition. Washington, D.C.: American Association of Community
Colleges. (ED440671)
Read, N. O., Elliott, M. R., Escobar, M. D., & Slaney, R. B. (1988). The
effects of marital status and motherhood on the career concerns of reentry women.
The Career Development Quarterly, 37, 46-55. (EJ383521)
Yachnin, J. (2001, February 2). Congress puts more money into aid for child-care
centers on campus. The Chronicle of Higher Education, p. A22.
This project has been funded at least in part with Federal funds from the U.S. Department of Education under contract number ED-99-CO-0010. The content of this publication does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S. Department of Education nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.
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