Psychosocioeconomic Challenges of Student Motherhood and Coping Mechanisms: A Multiple Case Study of Two Student Mothers in Kenyan Universities.

Abstract

University Education requires resources in terms of finances, physical facilities, time, commitment, peer educators and mentorship to ensure academic excellence and professionalism. Besides pursuit of academic and career goals, undergraduate students tend to explore intimate relationships some of which result into student motherhood. However, balancing motherhood obligations and University Education demands can be a daunting task especially for undergraduate student mothers who have loaded academic programmes. This paper examined the psychosocioeconomic challenges of student motherhood and coping mechanisms. The research employed a multiple case study design. Detailed case information was obtained from two student mothers in Kenyan Universities. The participants were purposively identified from University Counselling Offices’ client booking dairies. Self-administered interview and observation forms were used to collect data. The findings indicated that student mothers were ill prepared for demands of motherhood, experienced burnout from the burden of childcare, lacked adequate support from husbands and family members, felt socially neglected by friends, were left out during academic tours, spent much money on hospital bills and had to pay more rent for lack of relevant hostels. To cope with these challenges, student mothers skipped lectures owing to childcare responsibilities, preplanned activities to ensure mandatory tasks were carried out, relied on friends and well-wishers for childcare in order to attend tests and examinations, deferred studies, lived on tight budgets, sought financial support from “sponsors”, solicited funds from friends and family members, redefined social boundaries and secured counselling services. Stakeholders disseminate pertinent information regarding student motherhood to all University students, hostel owners to provide services as well as facilities that are sensitive to student mothers and University Student Welfare Departments to initiate student mothers’ social support groups.