CHAPTER ONE

GENERAL INTRODUCTION

Introduction

This research work investigates the challenges of babysitting mothers in the University of Bamenda. The study focuses on the challenges of babysitting mothers and some coping strategies. A growing body of work explores well-being of students. This study is applicable to students with dual roles of studying and parenting. However little work has addressed the experiences of student mothers, who must juggle the demands of childcare and study simultaneously. Much of this work describes the student parent as if there is only one kind of student or independent parent. Some of these babysitting mothers are single mothers who have a lot of challenges merging study and childcare, such student mothers face a lot of financial challenges. This research work also intends to bring some coping mechanisms to student mothers like avoiding activities that take much of their time and creating time for studies.

Background to the study

Education plays a very important role in equating the quality of life of men and women not only in the Cameroon but in most part of the world. It has been argued that education of women and girls is an important topic that helps identify some challenges women faced, which is in alignment with the Sustainable Development Goal 5 of achieving gender equality. Education is believed to provide knowledge and skills that hold potentials for economic empowerment, for better livelihood and social development. Jekayinfa (2009) postulated that the educational system of any society is an elaborate social mechanism designed to bring about in a person certain skills and attitudes that are adjudged to be useful and desirable in the society. According to Obioma and Ngozichukwuka, cited in Adofo (2013), as a result of the necessity for education, there has been the view that one who ceases to learn ceases to exist although the one may be living.

Historically, in the traditional society, it is perceived that the man is the head of the family and breadwinner and so needs to be educated for better employment and higher income. The woman who is the heart and keeper of the home must be trained at the kitchen (Mumuni, 2000). Marriage and housekeeping also limit the role of women (Asiedu-Akrofi, 1978; Edwards, Hasebe, & Sakai, 2019). Moreover, the recent trend in the world economy has made it necessary for women to act as co-breadwinners of the family and therefore must be educated to gain employment so as to earn a living ( Dolphyne, et al., 2019).

The trend has made it necessary for women of today to be educated so that they will be equipped with the skills, knowledge and attitudes required to fit into the ever-growing global economy. Hence, a lot of educational reforms have been embarked upon, targeting both male and female participation at all levels of education in Ghana ( Adusah-Karikari, 2008). This has led to a dramatic increase in the numbers of tertiary institutions at both regular and distance levels. Nevertheless, Caplan (1993), notes that the academic tenure clock and women’s biological clocks coincide. Due to their reproductive responsibilities women have had to combine their quest for higher education with child birth. This has resulted in a phenomenon of student mothers in our various higher educational institutions.

Conceptually, babysitting mothers are mothers with young children, some who are still breastfeeding and others depending on food. Little work has been done online to address the experiences of student mothers. Increasingly adults with young children are joining the accademia every year. Yet despite a distinct rhetoric of social mobility, equality and fairness to enable mature students gain access the University. Universities are still primarily organized to alter for young students’ without childcare responsibilities. According to Wolf, the term role conflict refers to a clash between two or more of a person’s roles or incompatible features within the same role. These incompatibilities can consist of differing expectations, requirements, beliefs or attitudes. This phenomenon has brought in its wake a lot of struggles by the student mothers considering the fact that the universities do not have facilities like lactation rooms, and convenient places for the baby sitters who accompany them while the home setting may pose other challenges that prevent the student mother from leaving the child at home. According to Egenti and Omoruyi (2011) the stress and trauma which they have to go through make them feel psychologically, emotionally and physically ill-disposed towards the programme. Motherhood is a well-documented experience. This role however have many challenges that often arise because of the nature of demands that being a mother has on an individual.

Studies have reported on students and student mothers perspectives on the experience of babysitting and schooling in African context. The experience of babysitting seems to highlight that mothers need to be able to provide consistent nurturing and care for their babies, despite having other roles as women.The effect of the inadequate support systems in the universities and the home in terms of academics, child care and financial support cannot be overemphasized. This study thus seeks to find out the challenges facing babysitting mothers, struggles in terms of academics, child care, and financial issues and coping strategies of student mothers who combine the worlds of family and academic.

Theoretically John Bowlby was the first attachment theorist. He described attachment as a “lasting psychological connectedness between human beings. He was interested in understanding the anxiety and distress that children experience when separated from their primary care givers. Some earliest behavioral theories suggested that attachment was merely the result of feeding relationship between the child and the care giver because the caregiver Fred’s the child and provides nourishment, the child becomes attached. John Bowlby believed that the earliest bonds formed by children with their caregivers have tremendous impact that continues throughout life. He suggested that attachment also helps to keep the infant close to the mother , thus improving the child’s chances of survival. Bowlby and others demonstrated that nurturance and responsiveness were the primary determinants of attachment. Attachment is the central theme of attachment theory in that primary caregivers who are available and responsive to an infants needs allow the child develop a sense of security. The infant learns that the caregiver is dependable, which created a secure base for the child to explore the world.

Statement of the Research Problem

Of recent, many individuals and organizations promote the education of the girl child by all possible means which was not the case in the past.  However, some authors still hold contrary and stand that the woman is defined by her marital status.  In this context today, education is a vital need irrespective of the gender. However, the two work together and in that, we have cases of students who perform a dual responsibility of taking care of the family, the child and portraying her educational desires and dreams. With this, they have a different experience from the normal students which are mostly financial and affects their academic performance significantly.

The experience of being a babysitting mother and attending school may be similar to other experiences that have been studied which provide some understanding for what the lives of these women are like. For example, it is easy to draw parallels between babysitting mother who work and babysitting mother who go to school. In addition, other sources of income, such as child support, family assistance, and governmental aid, also affect personal efficacy as strongly as one’s employment earnings.  It can also be true that mothers who go to school may share problems and stresses with other college students. For example, women in school experience more distress than men in school even when women are equal to men in competence based on GPA, academic standing, progress in career decision-making, and Personal Competency Scores. Mothers-students mostly do not have enough free time as they have dual tasks of school and the family. The child constantly requires attention wherein they have limited time to rest or to please the baby. Studying also takes time, and you must be torn to do everything. Probably, each woman may have her difficulties and challenges with motherhood, which are determined by various reasons like financial difficulties and family troubles

Equally, the level of enrollment, performance and success of babysitting mothers in campus is quiet low. Formal education is one of the most empowering tools for human development because the amount of education a woman obtains would influence the future aspects of her life It has been argued that education of women and girls is an important topic that helps identify some challenges women faced, which is in alignment with the Sustainable Development Goal 5 of achieving gender equality It provides them with an understanding of basic health, nutrition, and family planning, given them choices and the power to decide over their own lives and bodies. It has also been noted that educated women were better able to contribute to national development and participate more effectively in the economic and political life of societies. As a result, the level of enrollment and performance is quiet insignificant.

Moreover, these students face significant challenges to remaining enrolled, performing and graduating, including limited access to affordable child care, difficulty balancing the demands of school with the demands of work and family, and financial limitations that make it difficult to remain enrolled. Student parents are more likely than traditional students to say that financial difficulties are likely to result in their withdrawing from school (Miller, Gault, and Thorman 2011). Single parents are particularly likely to need financial aid to enroll in postsecondary education. Student parents are also more likely than traditional students to drop out of school, which means that they are more likely than traditional students to possess student debt without the benefit of a postsecondary degree. Data from students who graduated in 1993 who were surveyed 10 years after graduation show that students who were single parents at graduation still owed more than three times as much debt as their classmates.

The importance of education cannot be under estimated even though the child constantly requires attention wherein they have limited time to rest or to please the baby. This triggers the researcher to study the challenges facing babysitting mothers in the university of Bamenda.

Research  Questions

The research question of this study is presented in two sections that is; the main research question and the specific research question which are presented in the sections below.

Main Research Question

What are the challenges faced by babysitting mothers in the University of Bamenda?

Specific Research Questions

• What experience do Babysitting mothers have on campus of the University of Bamenda?
• How is the educational enrollment and performance of babysitting mothers in the University of Bamenda?
• What is the financial situation of babysitting mothers in the University of Bamenda?