Illuminating Low-income Pregnant and Parenting Student Mothers' Experiences with Community College

U.S. community colleges are considered historical sites of educational access and opportunity for social mobility for nontraditional students. Theoretically framed in Acker's theory of gendered organizations, this qualitative study explores low-income pregnant and parenting student mothers' experiences with community colleges, spaces that are designed for an abstract, "ideal student." Gendered analyses of in-depth interviews from 17 low-income pregnant and parenting student mothers across three community colleges in the Northeastern U.S. reveal compromised classroom and campus wide experiences that negatively impact processes of education and social growth. Findings illustrate the complexity of experiences for this marginalized student group who "do school" in institutional spaces that fail to meet their needs as students with multiple roles. Recommendations for institutional supports are offered.