Academic motherhood and first-generation graduate students: challenges of persistence in Brazilian higher education

Abstract

This article presents findings from the doctoral dissertation of Kamila Eulalio Abreu, which investigated the persistence challenges experienced by graduate student mothers who are also first-generation graduate students. First-generation graduate students are defined as those who are the first members of their families to attain a master's or doctoral degree. The study is based on the premise that the expansion of access to graduate education for historically excluded groups has not been accompanied by the development of retention policies capable of addressing inequalities related to gender, class, and social background. Drawing on the experiences of graduate student mothers, the research explores how motherhood, social vulnerability, and the lack of academic support networks affect students' ability to remain and succeed in graduate programs. The study adopts a qualitative and exploratory approach, combining a literature review, document analysis, an e-survey, and semi-structured interviews with graduate student mothers. The findings indicate that first-generation graduate student mothers face material, institutional, and symbolic barriers that hinder their academic trajectories. The data reveal that expanded access to graduate education has not been matched by the democratization of retention conditions. Furthermore, these women experience a dual stigma: within academia, they often feel they do not belong in a historically elitist environment; within their families and communities, their academic achievements are frequently viewed solely as individual accomplishments, obscuring the material, emotional, and institutional challenges that shape their experiences.