Remarkable Journeys: Poor, Single MOthers Accessing Higher Education (2004)

“Remarkable Journeys: Poor, Single Mothers Accessing Higher Education (2004)” Women’s Lives: Multicultural Perspective, New York: McGraw Hill, 2007, 383-385.


This entry was remarkable to me. It was filled with great ideas on how to reestablish single, lower income mothers back into the work field and to provide them with useful tools and knowledge that will help them be successful. The idea behind it all is that single women need the support and help to engage them in finding jobs, and they need specific help so that they can provide for their families.

In the article, it discusses that “individuals and communities accrue enormous social, cultural, and financial benefits when low-income, single mothers are supported in post secondary educational endeavors.” This idea makes perfect sense, because higher education means additional knowledge, that always proves useful in the working community. In addition, higher education also leads to more substantial jobs, giving way to higher salaries. By having a greater salary, women have additional income that can be used to provide more resources for their children, to take care of their home, and in turn, help the economy with additional spending. With additional money, this takes them out of the struggles of being a lower income household, and leads to greater security and less stress. It only makes sense that if women are provided with this additional assistance, that they can prove to be more useful to society, and be able to carry out their responsibilities as a parent more successfully.

It is behind this thought and belief that the ACCESS Project was created. “This project is an educational, social service, and career program that assists low-income parents in [their] efforts to move from welfare and low-wage work to meaningful and secure career employment through the pathway of higher education… the program supports students academically as well as helps them overcome substantial obstacles such as lack of adequate childcare and transportation, domestic violence, homelessness, hunger, and low self-esteem.” It is incredible what this program does, and the stories of women involved in it were inspirational and insightful. The program truly changes lives for the better, and helps women get back on their feet. By providing them with the necessary elements to be successful, they have made it happen, and changed their lives around.

Knowing what this program is capable, it’s interesting why more programs such as this one aren’t available. Rather than having people on welfare, and using tax payer’s money, wouldn’t it make sense to make it so that they were capable of maintaining decent jobs, and therefore not having to be on welfare? In addition, wouldn’t it make sense that if they had money, that they could help the economy? It seems worth the financial input to make more programs such as the ACCESS Project so that women could be more financially independent. I believe if this program is analyzed, altered to be even more successful, and provided throughout the nation, that there would be a great increase in the productivity of single women, and tax dollars would not be wasted to as much of an extent as they are now. Welfare, homelessness, and the lack of childcare have been known issues for decades. It is time that these issues are addressed in a way that provides the most desirable outcome.