Struggles and coping strategies of student mothers at the University of Cape Coast Distance Education, Ghana

Abstract

We investigated into combining motherhood with academic life concentrating on the struggles of student-mothers. The study adopted the mixed method design affirming the qualitative data with quantitative data. The purposive and convenient sampling procedures were used to select the sample from the University of Cape Coast Distance Education, Oyoko Study Center. The study found that majority of respondents go through academic struggles such as inability to attend face-to-face lectures regularly because of tiredness, sickness of child, taking baby to child welfare clinic and lack of lactating rooms for breastfeeding of babies. To cope with the struggles respondents relied on paid house helps, keeping children at day care centers, raising loans and relying on husbands and friends for support. The study recommended for the provision of lactating rooms, day care centers and counselling services for student-mothers on all centers of the College of Distance Education.