Negotiating Time and Space for Study: Student-parents and Familial Relationships

Abstract

Historically, university cultures have been described as masculine in orientation, and the 'ideal learner' as male, white, middle class and unencumbered by domestic responsibility.Nevertheless, more recent work has highlighted certain spaces within the higher education sector which, it is argued, are more welcoming of female students and those with family commitments. While there may now be more institutional spaces open to student-parents and others with caring responsibilities, we know little about whether similar change has been wrought in the domestic sphere. Drawing on interviews with 68 student-parents, this paper explores the various strategies UK students with dependent children used to find time and space, within the home, to pursue their studies. By comparing these to the strategies used by student-parents at Danish universities, the paper considers the extent to which differences in gender norms and state policy with respect to both higher education and childcare affect dayto-day familial practices.

Space and time to engage: mature-aged distance students learn to fit study into their lives

“…This approach requires less adjustment by the family but it relies on there being times when the home is empty. Other research has found this to be the commonest strategy for mothers (Brooks, 2012;Christie, Munro, & Wager, 2005). Physical separation, either by shutting oneself away in the home or by studying elsewhere, was used by all the students at times, particularly approaching assessments.…”

International students with dependent children: the reproduction of gender norms

“…The article draws on a subset of data that were collected as part of a cross-national project on the experiences of student-parents in two European countries (see Brooks 2012Brooks , 2013. For the UK part of the data collection, two universities were chosen to represent some of the variation within the sector: one 'older', more prestigious university (hereafter referred to as 'UK Older'); and a 'newer' institution, which was considerably less prestigious (referred to as 'UK Newer').…”

The spaces of UK students’ unions: extending the critical geographies of the university campus

“…Moreover, as previous research has shown, there are also differences by HeI status in the extent to which 'being a student' comprises the main part of one's identity. Indeed, on the basis of their work at four different HeIs, Reay et al (2010) argue that 'the rewards and recognition of being a university student are powerfully differentiated across the He field' (p. 120) (see also Brooks, 2013). Such Downloaded by [Flinders University of South Australia] at 05:30 05 October 2015 differences have a direct impact on the time students have available to become involved in their students' union.…”