While the majority of student parents are mothers, 30% are fathers, equaling approximately 800,000 undergraduates. According to new research, student fathers often tend to be older than other students and face time demands such as full-time work. They’re also more likely to be providing financial support to a partner or spouse, parents or other family members.
The research from Trellis Strategies based on their annual Student Financial Wellness Survey (SFWS) shows that 44% of student fathers spend 40 or more hours on childcare per week. They also are less likely to complete the FAFSA and may miss out on needed financial aid.
“Our findings stress that student fathers, in particular, may benefit from more targeted financial aid counseling and communication, as well as awareness of public benefit programs and other resources available to them,” Allyson Cornett, author of the Trellis brief, told Forbes. “On-campus or subsidized childcare might not be the best solution for student fathers, as evidenced by the SFWS data. This all culminates in the importance of institutions recognizing the diverse and competing priorities student parents face. Their needs differ not only from their non-parenting peers but also across gender lines.”
Read more about student fathers here.
