The Struggles of Pursuing Higher Education
In her essay, “Reclaiming the Promise of Higher Education: Poor Single Mothers in Academe,” Vivyan Adair asserts that higher education should be prioritized for low-income single mothers in order to help them transition out of welfare reliance and to advance themselves and their families into a positive, stable environment. Adair believes that as of 1996, the welfare system has lowered single mothers’ chances of pursuing education by prioritizing the “work-first” policy, making it hard for mothers to find the time to go to school between long hours of work and the expenses of childcare services. Adair makes a valid point that ever since the “reform” of the welfare system, this has caused for limited …show more content…
In a testimony, a single mother shares her experience of pursuing a higher education and the doors it opened for her and her family:
As children, my sibling and I were marked by poverty… I was fortunate to have been poor and broken in an era when education could provide a lifeline for poor single mothers. Because of my interaction with a pre-reform welfare system, I was able to transform my life and that of my child through the life-altering pathway of higher education. (Adair 27)
Adair uses this single mother’s story to show that there was a lot of opportunity for her before the reform. The author continues by arguing that ‘education not only allowed her to make a good living, but also allowed her to “exit poverty permanently by opening the doors of opportunity for her children as well” (pg). In addition, Adair specifically mentions that she was able to accomplish what she did because of the pre-reform welfare system; this can make readers question whether today’s welfare system is ineffective and has a negative impact on single mothers to pursue advanced …show more content…
Mothers were having to drop out of school because of this policy and were unable to go to school between long hours of work, the finances of childcare, and low paying jobs. This therefore causes the futures of their families to remain in poverty, which should not be the case. The reform should help find ways for single mothers to go to school as well as having a job while pursuing a higher education. Adair makes many valid points regarding the reform causing limited opportunities for single mothers to succeed. Once again, the only way the reform can help is to prioritize education because that is key for future
In her essay, “Reclaiming the Promise of Higher Education: Poor Single Mothers in Academe,” Vivyan Adair asserts that higher education should be prioritized for low-income single mothers in order to help them transition out of welfare reliance and to advance themselves and their families into a positive, stable environment. Adair believes that as of 1996, the welfare system has lowered single mothers’ chances of pursuing education by prioritizing the “work-first” policy, making it hard for mothers to find the time to go to school between long hours of work and the expenses of childcare services. Adair makes a valid point that ever since the “reform” of the welfare system, this has caused for limited …show more content…
In a testimony, a single mother shares her experience of pursuing a higher education and the doors it opened for her and her family:
As children, my sibling and I were marked by poverty… I was fortunate to have been poor and broken in an era when education could provide a lifeline for poor single mothers. Because of my interaction with a pre-reform welfare system, I was able to transform my life and that of my child through the life-altering pathway of higher education. (Adair 27)
Adair uses this single mother’s story to show that there was a lot of opportunity for her before the reform. The author continues by arguing that ‘education not only allowed her to make a good living, but also allowed her to “exit poverty permanently by opening the doors of opportunity for her children as well” (pg). In addition, Adair specifically mentions that she was able to accomplish what she did because of the pre-reform welfare system; this can make readers question whether today’s welfare system is ineffective and has a negative impact on single mothers to pursue advanced …show more content…
Mothers were having to drop out of school because of this policy and were unable to go to school between long hours of work, the finances of childcare, and low paying jobs. This therefore causes the futures of their families to remain in poverty, which should not be the case. The reform should help find ways for single mothers to go to school as well as having a job while pursuing a higher education. Adair makes many valid points regarding the reform causing limited opportunities for single mothers to succeed. Once again, the only way the reform can help is to prioritize education because that is key for future