Narratives on challenges of female black postgraduate students

Abstract

This paper emerged from a narrative inquiry of three female postgraduate students from three universities in South Africa. The purpose of the study was to inquire into the challenges that black female students face during their period of study. One participant was a teacher at high school, one a university lecturer and the other a curriculum specialist at a district office. Two participants managed to complete their studies and one is still busy with her doctorate. From their narratives, patterns of meaning that emerged indicated that although participants valued the knowledge that they acquired, their experience of studying at postgraduate level was nevertheless arduous. This paper exposes the joy and hardship of learning as a black female South African.

Keywords:

• black females
• postgraduate studies
• hegemony
• resilience