Mothers are overcoming adversity to
improve the future of their family.
As a Liberal
Arts major at Berkshire Community College and a father of two children, I have
noticed that among my classmates, there were more mothers than fathers. I thought, why such a difference? Do national statistics show why? So, I did
some research and found interesting data that’s worthy of praise to those
mothers, who serve as parent, student, and role model.
According to a 2010, study conducted
by the Pew Research Center, 77% of the women surveyed believed that it was
important for them to acquire a college education, so they could get ahead in
life. They also noted that 36% of women
aged 25-29 held bachelor’s degrees, as opposed to 28% of men in the same
category. As of 1992, women have
outpaced men in degrees in higher education attainment. This gap continues to widen.
The same study showed that in 1970, 11% of
working women had college degrees, and in 2009, that number had tripled to
36%! The percentage of women with
children in the workforce having children under 18, was 47% in 1975, and rose
to a staggering 72% in 2009.
According to a document from the
Bureau of Labor Statistics NCES (The National Center for Education Statistics) that came out in
2007, women college graduates aged 25 and older earned 82% more than women with
high school diplomas. They also noted
that during the years between1992-1993, 8% of non-traditional undergraduates
were single mothers and that their number rose to 13% from 1999-2000.
It was my mother who inspired me to
return to college to earn a degree, while working to support my two
children. She went to BCC to earn her
nursing degree while raising seven children and currently works as a RN at
North Adams Regional Hospital with a substantially greater income than she
earned before. Through her example, I
realized that anything is possible if you really want it and are willing to
work for it.
Women over 30 are becoming the
fastest growing student population according to Lisa Ruffino, author of, “Moms
Returning to College.” I interviewed
Rachel Deschamps, a Liberal Arts major at BCC, and she said that what she found
most challenging as a mother and student was finding the time to study (usually
between the hours of 10pm-4am) and organizing child care while she is in
school. She hopes to pursue a bachelor’s
degree in Conservation Biology at MCLA or Tufts University upon
graduation. I admire the dedication and
effort it takes to achieve this goal. The
example these women set, striving for a better future for their children, is
truly impressive. Best wishes to you
all. Your hard work doesn’t go
unnoticed.
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