FACT SHEET June 2023 - Black Women Have Made Major Gains in Higher Education, But Black Single Mothers Still Struggle to Attain Degrees - Research Findings Summary

Oct 15, 2026

This fact sheet highlights how Black women’s enrollment in higher education does not translate into equal degree attainment for Black single mothers, even when many enter community college. Key research findings show that while 65.7% of Black women and about three-fourths of Black mothers in community college are single mothers, large shares fail to earn certificates or degrees within six years. Limited money and “time poverty,” alongside scarce access to quality, affordable childcare and insufficient emergency funding, create persistent barriers to completion and mobility.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages9

Reading Time23 min

AccessFree to download

Research Highlights

Enrollment Patterns in Community Colleges

First-generation Student Overrepresentation

Barriers to Educational Success

Financial Resources and Support Gaps

FACT SHEET June 2023 BLACK WOMEN HAVE MADE MAJOR GAINS IN HIGHER EDUCATION, BUT BLACK SINGLE MOTHERS STILL STRUGGLE TO ATTAIN DEGREES By Jennifer Turner, Ph.D. and Chaunté White, Ph.D. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS • Two-thirds (65.7 percent) of Black women in higher education attended community college. • About three-fourths (73.8 percent) of Black mothers who attended a community college are single mothers. • Two-thirds of Black single mothers (66.3 percent) who attended a community college are first-generation students. • Over two-thirds (69.4 percent) of Black single mother students did not earn a certificate or degree within six years of enrollment. • Three-fourths (74.7 percent) of Black single mother students say that they could not come up with $2,000 within the next month. INTRODUCTION Earning a college degree is a major pathway to economic mobility (Reichlin Cruse et al., 2019; Tamborini, Kim, and Sakamoto, 2015) . Although Black women enter college at higher rates than white, Hispanic, and Black men (for example, in 2020, Black women enrolled in college at a 40% rate, compared to 37% for White men, 31% for Black men, and 30% for Hispanic men)(National Center for Education Statistics, 2022), they still face barriers to degree completion, such as limited financial resources and mounting student debt (Huelsman, 2019) . Two-thirds (65.7 percent) of Black women and three-fourths (74.6 percent) of Black single mothers in higher education attended community college (IWPR analysis of 2016 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS) data) . Although most Black mothers in community college are single (73.8 percent), little is known about the educational experiences of this group.1 Therefore, this fact sheet focuses on Black single mother community college students, a population of students that has been largely overlooked in research and policy. This fact sheet presents new analyses of postsecondary educational data (e.g., NPSAS2 and Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study (BPS)3) on Black student mothers who are single. The analyses show that Black single mother students experience several barriers to degree attainment, including “time poverty” (or a struggle to balance work, school, and family), lack of access to quality, affordable childcare, and limited financial resources. This fact sheet aims to provide college leaders, student parent advocates, and policymakers with data to better understand the landscape for Black single mother students on a national level and prompt considerations for racial and gender equity and investments in institutional resources and supportive services. Black Single Mothers in Higher Education Most Black Single Mother Students Enroll in Community Colleges. Two-thirds (65.7 percent) of Black women in higher education attended community college (IWPR analysis of 2016 NPSAS data) . Among those, about three-fourths (73.8 percent) are single mothers (IWPR analysis of 2016 NPSAS data) . Black single mothers’ high community college enrollment rates may be due to the perception that community colleges are more affordable, the belief that these institutions will provide more flexibility to meet their work and childrearing needs, and/or a lack of access to information on the broad array of college options (Patton, Copridge, and Sharp, 2022; Perkins, 2015) . Most Black Single Mothers in Community Colleges are First-generation College Students. Two-thirds of Black single mothers (66.3 percent) who attended a community college are first-generation4 students (IWPR analysis of 2016 NPSAS data) . Black single mothers’ high likelihood of being first-generation reflects the systematic discrimination and exclusion that Black women have faced in higher education throughout history (Patton and Croom, 2016) . First-generation college students face increased financial pressure as they are less likely to receive financial support from parents, disproportionately come from ethni

FAQs

What does the fact sheet identify as the main challenge for Black single mothers in higher education?

It finds that Black single mothers face multiple barriers to degree attainment, including limited financial resources and major difficulties balancing work, school, and family responsibilities, which leads to low completion rates.

How does community college enrollment relate to Black women and Black single mothers in the findings?

Two-thirds (65.7%) of Black women in higher education attended community college, and about three-fourths (73.8%) of Black mothers who attended community college are single mothers.

What evidence does the fact sheet provide about degree completion timelines?

It reports that over two-thirds (69.4%) of Black single mother students did not earn a certificate or degree within six years of enrollment.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Sophia Brooks