The Experience of Undergraduate Family Science Female Students: A Qualitative Study

Wyndsor II

As female students have traditionally been underrepresented in a number of academic disciplines (e.g., Hernandez et al., 2017), and because female students have often encountered obstacles in persisting in their preferred fields of study (e.g., Hughes, 2012), it's important to elevate female voices and learn how to better support them in academia. In order to pursue this, original qualitative research was conducted to better understand the academic experience of undergraduate female students pursuing a degree in an CFLE approved family science program. As part of this presentation, participants will learn about the female undergraduate experience and what obstacles they often encounter. Specifically, from the results of this study, participants will learn about female students' desires to be challenged and to have diverse perspectives included in the classroom, and also about the stigma they often experience due to their chosen field of study. Implications for programs and professions will be discussed.