The Utah Women & Leadership Project released a new research brief on Nov. 3 discussing findings from in-depth interviews with women enrolled in college or graduate schools in Utah.
The testimonials of these participants revealed common influences on their decision to pursue higher education as a woman – relationships and religious and cultural influences. Often, relationships women have with their family and professors are entwined with whether or not they obtain an advanced degree.
While families can be a great motivation towards education, Dr. Sojung Lim, associate professor of sociology at Utah State University, said education can fall by the wayside if it conflicts with family values. She noted that women often face more pressure to handle family matters while earning a degree than men.
“You don't have to choose one over the other, but sometimes they feel guilty or uneasy or uncomfortable,” Lim said.
Another big roadblock was a sense of alienation women feel when attending school. This can come in the form of gendered expectations confining women to specific roles within their education, as well as underrepresentation for minorities.
Claudia Wright, presidential doctoral research fellow at USU, said this alienation affects both undergraduates and those obtaining advanced degrees.
“They feel like there's a barrier between who they are as people and the environment in which they're embedded,” Wright said.
She added that listening to participants' personal stories gave her a unique perspective on the potential for researchers to communicate these experiences to a broad audience.
“I cried quite a bit with some of the stories because some of their stories were really from the heart,” Wright said. “There was one particular interview in which the participant really opened her heart up, like she really needed to talk about what was going on.”
