ABSTRACT
Chapter 10 concludes the book with the story of Beth, who became pregnant her first year of college and persevered through tremendous challenges to complete her education and enter a career that would use her degree. The palpable discrepancies between her educational experience and that of non-parenting students illuminate the inequities and injustices that endure long after the establishment of Title IX. Beth’s story inspires subsequent discussions of what compliance with Title IX should entail if schools truly want to protect and support pregnant and parenting students. To end the cycle of under-support (a concept and term the authors coin), the authors identify the types of support necessary (structural support, informational support, tangible support, network support, and emotional support) and the types of communication necessary (interpersonal, mass, and visual communication) to transform colleges into supportive spaces. The chapter also points out the legal and ethical duty of all students, faculty, and staff to support pregnant and parenting students.
Based on interdisciplinary research and mixed-methods case studies in preceding chapters, the authors conclude that to protect pregnant and parenting students, schools must provide multifaceted support that is effectively communicated to an entire campus community, including students who are parenting, who are pregnant, and who may become pregnant. Throughout the chapter, pregnant and parenting students share accounts of isolated times they received support and the positive difference it made. Contrasting the bleak realities portrayed in previous chapters, these student examples and the suggestions that the authors advance provide hope for the future.
