Understanding the experiences of female doctoral students

Abstract

This article presents findings from a qualitative study of the impact of gender on the doctoral experience. Eight women who had recently completed or who had almost completed a PhD were interviewed about their experiences. Seven studied part time and one full time. It was found that being a mother had profound implications for doctoral‐level study. First, the timing of study was dictated by domestic demands; second, balancing home and academic life was a source of great stress, and women were torn between their roles as wife/mother and student. Finally, attendance at conferences was problematic, and, for many women, impossible. The literature suggests that gender also has an impact on the supervisory relationship; however, this was not supported, as although all of the interviewees had a male supervisor, they did not report dissatisfaction with the supervision received.

Keywords:

• PhD
• gender
• women
• timing
• juggling
• role
• empathy