What Are Student Fathers' Experiences?

When researchers, policymakers, and postsecondary administrators understand a student population’s experiences, they can more effectively identify ways to support that population. Although there are some scholarly articles or reports that have had student fathers as participants, most student parents in the studies identify as women.^{[10][11][12][13]} For example, a recent study on the experiences of student parents of color in community college included 67 participants, and only three self-identified as men.^[14] More research on the specific experiences of student fathers would help the field understand the supports they need to succeed.

Enrollment and Persistence

According to the Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR), single student fathers (71 percent) are significantly more likely to stop-out of college than student parents overall (52 percent).^[15] Black and Latinx student fathers (72 percent and 57 percent, respectively) are more likely to stop-out than white student fathers (57 percent). From the demographic data, we know that Black student fathers are more likely to be single than married, but more research on stop-out trends across race, gender, and marital status is needed to better understand barriers and supports that affect completion.

IWPR points to “time poverty” — the lack of adequate time for day-to-day responsibilities — work factors, lack of child care, the increasing financial burden of higher education, and uncontrollable life circumstances among the reasons student parents stop-out and re-enroll. Student parents, often motivated by a desire to provide for their children, re-enrolled based on personal and career goals.

Most of the existing scholarship focused solely on student fathers^{[16][17][18][19][20]} has narrowly tailored research methods, research questions, and participant demographics, making it difficult to draw reliable conclusions about the reasons for high stop-out rates among student fathers specifically.^[ii] However, findings from a recent qualitative study on Hispanic and African American student fathers offer tailored insights.^[21] Several important themes from the scholarship are consistent with IWPR’s research, including that student fathers:

• Are motivated to enroll and persist because of the desire to support their children. Student fathers wanted to provide for their children, and they felt earning a degree would allow them greater earning power.
• Feel time pressure because they have to balance work, education, and family commitments.
• Experience the societal pressures associated with being the “breadwinner” and not showing weakness, consistent with traditional forms of masculinity. Several student fathers noted the lack of role models — other student fathers who demonstrate positive, healthy behaviors.
• Report poor mental health, including suicidal ideation, during parts of their postsecondary experiences. One study identified that academic stress was significantly and negatively affecting the attention they paid to their children.
• Are disappointed with the lack of support structures specific to student fathers provided by the postsecondary institutions they attend.
• Combat negative stereotypes about being young fathers pursuing their degree.

Health and Basic Needs

According to a study by Ascend at the Aspen Institute, in partnership with JED Foundation, more than two in five student parents experience extreme stress that affects their mental health and educational success.^[22] The report provided insight into the mental health experiences of student fathers and mothers. Key takeaways include:

• Over 1 in 5 student fathers considered committing suicide in the 30 days prior, a higher share than among student parents overall (18 percent).
• Student fathers were more likely than student mothers to say being a student parent was “exciting” (35 percent of student fathers compared to 21 percent of mothers), “stimulating” (30 percent vs. 18 percent), and esteem-enhancing (28 percent vs. 13 percent).

• Student fathers were less likely to experience stress (43 percent vs. 50 percent) and anxiety (16 percent vs. 24 percent) than student mothers.
• Eighty percent of the student fathers, compared with 70 percent of student mothers, had help with child care, and among the student parents who had help, fathers were more likely than mothers to receive help from their child’s other parent.
• Student fathers were less likely than student mothers to say being a student parent was very or extremely challenging, and they were less likely to experience guilt often or all of the time (46 percent vs. 31 percent).

In early 2022, the Hope Center released a report^[23] on student parents that highlighted racial disparities in basic needs insecurity during the pandemic, including:

• Two in five Black student fathers experienced income reductions during the pandemic.
• Black student fathers are more than twice as likely to experience homelessness as their white counterparts. Nearly 1 in 4 Black student fathers experienced homelessness in the last 12 months.
• Single Black student fathers were half as likely as single Black mothers to use campus supports (34 percent vs. 69 percent).

This research indicates that focused support would increase the success of student fathers, particularly Black student fathers who experience the highest stop-out rates.^[24][25]

Men's College Enrollment
and Adult Learners

Data on men's college enrollment and male adult learners can fill some of the gap in our knowledge on student fathers. The Male Enrollment Crisis,^[26] from the Chronicle of Higher Education, found that men represent just 40.5 percent of undergraduate students, with men’s enrollment dropping 10.2 percent from fall 2019 to fall 2021. The decline in enrollment was highest (14.8 percent) at two-year public community colleges, with Black male enrollment falling by 21.5 percent at these institutions.^[27]

Researchers noted that men may be more likely to skip college in pursuit of a decent-paying job, but this decision can negatively impact their long-term earning power. Among adults who do not have a college degree, men were more likely than women to say they “didn’t need more education for the job/career they wanted” or they “just didn’t want” the degree.^[28] Although it is true that women need higher levels of education to earn as much as men, a college degree still pays off for men through higher earnings over their lifetimes.^[29]

As researchers consider why men’s college enrollment has declined, fatherhood should be explored as a key piece of the puzzle. Raheem Brooks, the program director for the CUNY Fatherhood Academy at LaGuardia Community College, shared that almost all of his students are motivated by a desire to financially provide for their children. The program supports fathers in passing the General Educational Development test (GED), but even though participating fathers use the program to get a better job, only 9 percent of graduates go on to attend college.^[30] According to Brooks, many of the fathers in his program say they feel guilty about taking the time to earn a college degree rather than immediately earning money to support their families. Pressures around “breadwinning” instead of pursuing education are often amplified by the fathers’ family members, co-parents, and other influential figures in their lives. Yet, this trade-off comes at a significant cost: men with a college degree earn $30,000 more per year on average than men with a high school degree.^[31]

Lumina Foundation’s report exploring the experiences of adult learners who had stopped out, reenrolled, and persisted through or close to graduation^[32] highlighted similar issues facing adult learners. More research on the role of fatherhood in the male adult learner experience would help illuminate the broader postsecondary landscape for student fathers.