Chapter I
Chapter I
Chapter I
INTRODUCTION
The Philippines teenage pregnancy rate has increased by 60% in the year 2000- 2010,
according to the Philippine National Statistics Office. This is very alarming. Teenage
pregnancy often occurs between the ages of 15-19 years old, often in this age the girls
With early pregnancy the girls usually have to abandon their education to give birth or
raise their child. Girls who become pregnant are expelled from school especially in a
Catholic School like Lourdes College because it goes against the moral teachings of the
school thus delaying the chance of earning a degree that will help them in providing for
their child. Education becomes a lesser priority and is often delayed until they are able
to leave the children at home are financially stable. But there are girls who are studying
as well as taking care of their child and they are who we call Student Mothers. The
burdens for these girls have double as to they have to take care of school as well as
The life of a Student Mother is no easy feat they have to juggle their time between
attending their classes, making their requirements, taking care of their child and taking
care of the house. They become the primary caregiver of their child and are expected to
rear their child well. Many of these student mothers also engage in working part-time to
help in the financial burdens of both studying and caring for the child. But, this becomes
another disadvantage as it takes up time and effort on the part of the Student Mother.
This study aims to understand how student mothers cope with their situation towards
their studies and as well as child rearing. More specifically, what are the problems they
have encountered in studying while nurturing their child at home.The study also seeks
With these in mind the purpose of the study is to help the readers understand the
CHAPTER II
From 2000 to 2010, the number of live births by teenage mothers in the Philippines rose
by more than 60 percent, latest data from the National Statistics Office showed.
Another alarming fact is that the number of teenage mothers who gave birth to their
second or third child during their teenage year has increased in the last 10 years. This is
according to the data shown in the press conference in Quezon City by Carmelita Ericta,
administrator and civil registrar general of the National Statistics Office. ( Ime Morales,
July 9, 2013) Teenage preganancy is a global issue and a major contributor to school
drop-out among girls. Permanent expulsion was one of the solutions made for teenage
pregnancy but this has been proven ineffective and unfair to the girls. Now there is a
return to school policy where a student is temporarily dismissed from school due to
As stated by Brown and Amankwaa (2007) “As more female college students are
pregnancy occurs it is only the woman who bears the burden and risk of the pregnancy
and in most cases child care.“ often these types of pregnancy are unplanned or planned
caring for a child becomes a full time job. Having a child while being a student becomes
stressful because child rearing consumes time and energy, with a few exeptions the
women are the primary care giver of the child. ( Hofferth, Reid, & Mott, 2001 as cited by
Brown &Amankwaa, 2007). According to Kidwell (2004), rearing a child while being s
full-time student may be daunting and difficult however, it will be easier if she has a
partner or a family member who can help her in taking care of the child.
With the increase of higher education students, 10% of this population areparents or
mothers who are hoping to give their children a better future and attending to their
needs through receiving a degree. These nontraditional students are often Student
Mothers and should be given special attention because aside from their role as student
they are also mothers and care givers at home. Many see or consider their families a
hindrance to their education which is wrong they should see it as a motivator because
primarily, Student mother go back to studying because they want to provide for their
When pregnant students and student mothers are expected to subordinate their needs
and desires to those of their children and families, they are forced to grapple with the
&Amankwaa, (2007) stated that parenting is a very stressful and some women cannot
handle all the tasks involved especially the first time mothers and need help or
assistance from the people around them. Although having someone help the mother is
good but the expectation of receiving support after giving birth to a baby often causes
Stressors that may lead to depression during postpartum period. Many student mothers
have expressed feelings of guilt, worry and inadequacy in both as a student and as a
Though not always does being a student mother have negative effect, it also has
positive effects. Story (1999), as cited by Brown &Amankwaa (2007), has found out that
student mothers are more responsible than those of regular students. He has seen that
girls who were irresponsible before pregnancy has become more responsible after
pregnancy and ismore less likely to drop out of College than the regular students.
For women who juggle family and student responsibilities, the lack of time is one of the
major issues faced. (Liversidge, 2004) Many student mothers use different coping
depend on time management to handle the many different tasks of a student mother.
things needed to be done as both student and a mother as well as emotional and
physical support from both the partner and parents of the student mother.
Okey (2012) has said student-mothers go through a number of challenges as they live
double lives as mothers and students. Often challenges are faced like lack of support
due to other factors like lack of finances and time being limited.
A study by Boutan (2012) shows the feeling of student mother in regards to lifestyle she
said thaGale (her participant) said she juggles multiple lifestyles as a full-time student
and a full-time mom. This does make her feel disconnected from campus life.
Due to student mothers’ situation being difficult they have adapted coping mechanism.
avoidance and emotion-focused strategies and the support they received upon
It was argued that raising a child involves a great deal of financial, emotional, and
practical planning (Kidwell, 2004). it is necessary to make sure that there are adequate
child care resources available. This may be very difficult to do if the student is going to
school full-time. However, if the student decides to remain in school and take care of
the child it may be more fpossibleif she has a partner or family member who will provide
additional help to care for the child (Kidwell, 2004). Parenting is very stressful and some
women cannot deal with all of the tasks that are involved. It is best if there are people
around who are there to assist. Although it is best to have family, friends and spousal
support after giving birth to a baby this expectation often causes Stressors that may
CHAPTER III
METHODOLOGY
In this study a qualitative exploratory design was used, allowing the researchers to get
Mothers. Qualitative research has the advantage of uncovering the lived experiences of
and in the process construct their worlds (Merriam and Simpson 2000, as cited in Berg
&Mamhute, 2013)
Discussion
Time management is seen as the common obstacle for these student mothers. Because
the live double lives as a mother and as a student, they struggle to split their time to
For coping the respondents commonly rely on being positive and not being stressed
about their situation. As for the factors they consider that greatly helped them cope the
common factor was the help of family members and husband. This is supported be
works of Kidwell (2004), Thompson(20014 and Okeyo(2012) that it lessens the burden
on the student mother if there are people around her who can help in caring for the
child. This is evident as stated by Ione (27) that when she has things she needs to do at
home her husband is the one who takes care of the child and as for Tepa (23) she stated
that her mother has helped her both financially and caring for the child at home.
The most common learning of the student mothers is that one should not be rash and
Conclusion
Time management is the biggest obstacle of being a student mother as you need to
divide your time between school and caring for the child. As for the coping strategy it is
seen that the having a positive outlook is effective in handling different situations as a
student mother.