[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"doc-seo-585068-105":3,"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":81,"doc-detail-585068-en":130},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"ok",{"site_id":7,"language":8,"slug":9,"title":10,"keywords":11,"description":12,"schema_data":13,"social_meta":74,"head_meta":76,"extra_data":78,"updated_unix":80},105,"en","federal-policy-solutions-to-advance-gender-equity-supporting-student-parents-education-and-career-advancement","Federal Policy Solutions to Advance Gender Equity - Supporting Student Parents Education and Career Advancement","","Federal policy solutions are explored to advance gender equity by addressing barriers faced by student parents in postsecondary education. With many parenting students being older, employed, and carrying family responsibilities, outcomes are shaped by financial insecurity, caregiving demands, limited tailored support, and structural disadvantages tied to race and gender. The text highlights gaps in data collection, unmet basic-needs costs, and evidence that student parents, especially single mothers, face higher borrowing and debt burdens and struggle to persist and complete degrees.",{"@graph":14,"@context":73},[15,34,56],{"@type":16,"itemListElement":17},"BreadcrumbList",[18,23,27,31],{"item":19,"name":20,"@type":21,"position":22},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",1,{"item":24,"name":25,"@type":21,"position":26},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":28,"name":29,"@type":21,"position":30},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/","Research & Report",3,{"item":32,"name":10,"@type":21,"position":33},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/federal-policy-solutions-to-advance-gender-equity-supporting-student-parents-education-and-career-advancement/585068/",4,{"url":32,"name":10,"@type":35,"image":36,"author":41,"headline":10,"publisher":44,"fileFormat":47,"inLanguage":8,"description":12,"dateModified":48,"datePublished":49,"encodingFormat":47,"isAccessibleForFree":50,"interactionStatistic":51},"DigitalDocument",{"url":37,"@type":38,"width":39,"height":40},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/federal-policy-solutions-to-advance-gender-equity-supporting-student-parents-education-and-career-advancement/585068.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":42,"@type":43},"Maya Linwood","Person",{"url":19,"name":45,"@type":46},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-11-10","2026-10-15",true,{"@type":52,"interactionType":53,"userInteractionCount":55},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":54},"ViewAction",10,{"@type":57,"mainEntity":58},"FAQPage",[59,65,69],{"name":60,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":62},"How many undergraduate students are parents, and what does that imply for colleges?","Question",{"text":63,"@type":64},"About 18% of undergraduate students are parents. Many four-year colleges still primarily serve traditional 18–24-year-old students, while institutions focusing on older students like community colleges are often under-resourced.","Answer",{"name":66,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":67},"What challenges affect student parents’ ability to earn degrees?",{"text":68,"@type":64},"Student parents face financial barriers, difficulty balancing work, school, and family responsibilities, and limited tailored institutional support. Structural barriers also make it harder for many nontraditional students to stay enrolled and complete degrees.",{"name":70,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":71},"Why is data collection important for student parents and other nontraditional students?",{"text":72,"@type":64},"Data on student parents is limited, siloed, or nonexistent, with few national mechanisms for capturing their needs. Improved data collection can help policymakers and institutions better understand prevalence and design effective supports.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":32,"og:type":75,"og:title":10,"og:site_name":45,"og:description":12},"article",{"robots":77,"canonical":32},"index,follow",{"doc_id":79,"site_id":7},585068,1792166418,{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":83},"success",[84,88,92,96,101,106,111,115,120,123,126],{"id":22,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":85,"show_sort_weight":86,"slug":87},"Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":26,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":89,"show_sort_weight":90,"slug":91},"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":33,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":93,"show_sort_weight":94,"slug":95},"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":97,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":98,"show_sort_weight":99,"slug":100},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":102,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":103,"show_sort_weight":104,"slug":105},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":107,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":108,"show_sort_weight":109,"slug":110},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":112,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":29,"show_sort_weight":113,"slug":114},8,30,"research-report",{"id":116,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":117,"show_sort_weight":118,"slug":119},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":118,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":121,"show_sort_weight":118,"slug":122},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":55,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":124,"show_sort_weight":55,"slug":125},"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":127,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":128,"show_sort_weight":97,"slug":129},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":131},{"doc_id":79,"user_id":132,"nickname":42,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":112,"category_name":29,"doc_title":10,"doc_description":12,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":55,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":22,"is_downloadable":22,"audit_status":22,"page_count":97,"language":139,"language_code":8,"site_id":7,"html_lang":8,"table_of_contents":140,"faqs":141,"seo_title":142,"seo_description":12,"update_tm":143,"read_time":144,"preview_page_count":4},962084928432,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_155a257f0dc6eb9ab79c44ca47cae57d","SUPPORTING STUDENT  \nPARENTS  EDUCATION AND CAREER ADVANCEMENT   \nFederal Policy Solutions to Advance Gender Equity | February 2025  \nOVERVIEW  \nAbout one in five (18 percent) undergraduate students are parents. Despite the fact that student parents represent a sizable portion of the undergraduate student population, most four-year colleges continue to cater to “traditional” students who are 18–24 years old, are not employed  \nfull-time, and do not have dependent children. Meanwhile, the colleges that do place greater focus on older students, like community colleges, are generally under-resourced.  \nNevertheless, college student populations are becoming increasingly “nontraditional,” meaning they are older than 24, employed full-time, and have dependent children. More than one-third are over 25, according to Spark Collaborative, and about half are first-generation college students. Student parents and other nontraditional college students face unique challenges to academic success and degree attainment, including financial barriers, managing work, school, and family responsibilities, and a lack of tailored institutional support services.  \n74%  \nof parenting students are mothers, and three in five are single mothers.  \n83%  \nof student parents are also trying to support their families financially while they attend college.  \nWHAT THE RESEARCH SAYS  \n• Nontraditional students are becoming by Trellis Strategies, 83 percent of  \nan increasingly large portion of the student parents are also trying to  \n[undergraduate student population.](undergraduate student population. support)[ support](undergraduate student population. support) their families financially while  \nThese students often struggle to stay they attend college.  \nenrolled and attain college degrees due  \nto the various structural barriers they • Student parents report significant  \nface. Many nontraditional students financial insecurities. In a study by  \nare parents and thus must juggle their Trellis Strategies, two-thirds of student  \ncaregiving roles with their roles as parents report that they would be  \nworkers and students, according to a unable to afford an unexpected $500  \nstudy from Trellis Strategies. expense, and 80 percent say that  \nthey have run out of money at least  \n• Currently, about one in five (18 percent) once. The majority of student parents undergraduate students are parents. surveyed state that they are worried  \nSpark Collaborative reports that nearly about their ability to pay their monthly  \nthree-quarters of parenting students expenses and their tuition.  \n(74 percent) are mothers, and three in  \nfive are single mothers. • Intersectional identities such as race  \nand gender often exacerbate these  \n• Also according to Spark Collaborative, barriers. For instance, IWPR analysis of the largest share of student parents (51 2020 National Postsecondary Student percent) attend community colleges, Aid Study (NPSAS) data showed that compared with 20 percent who almost three-fourths (73 percent) of attend private for-profit institutions, Black single mother students could  \n15 percent who attend public four- not come up with $2,000 in the next year institutions, and 13 percent month. These financial challenges who are enrolled in private nonprofit are at least partially the result of institutions. wealth and income gaps stemming  \nfrom historic and systemic racism and  \n• Many nontraditional students prioritize gender-based discrimination, resulting  \nproviding financial support for their in lower income and wealth for women,  \nfamilies in addition to studying and care especially Black women.  \nresponsibilities. According to research  \n  Federal Policy Solutions to Advance Gender Equity  SUPPORTING STUDENT PARENTS   \nWHY IT MATTERS  \nResearch shows that many factors impact postsecondary degree attainment and persistence in their academic journeys among student parents, includingthe limited availability of high-quality, affordable child care, the cos","cbCaimJKNDRETDfy","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaimJKNDRETDfy","pdf",949138,"English","# Overview\n# What the Research Says\n# Why It Matters","[{\"question\":\"How many undergraduate students are parents, and what does that imply for colleges?\",\"answer\":\"About 18% of undergraduate students are parents. Many four-year colleges still primarily serve traditional 18–24-year-old students, while institutions focusing on older students like community colleges are often under-resourced.\"},{\"question\":\"What challenges affect student parents’ ability to earn degrees?\",\"answer\":\"Student parents face financial barriers, difficulty balancing work, school, and family responsibilities, and limited tailored institutional support. Structural barriers also make it harder for many nontraditional students to stay enrolled and complete degrees.\"},{\"question\":\"Why is data collection important for student parents and other nontraditional students?\",\"answer\":\"Data on student parents is limited, siloed, or nonexistent, with few national mechanisms for capturing their needs. Improved data collection can help policymakers and institutions better understand prevalence and design effective supports.\"}]","Federal Policy Solutions to Advance Gender Equity - Supporting Student Parents Education and Career Advancement | PDF",1792053568,13]