This research addressed the problem of women in welfare accessing higher education at Salt Lake Community College and the University of Utah. Gendered and entrenched patriarchal systems dominate institutional practice throughout the Department of Workforce Services (DWS), the agency that distributes welfare in Utah. The model and paradigm utilized in policy is that single mothers must operate as a masculine breadwinner. This assumption underlies policy, which is written in a gender-neutral fashion. The purpose of this study was to understand women's experiences, struggles, and supports during their attempt to move from poverty by obtaining a college degree.

Using qualitative methods and a phenomenological design, I employed a multicultural feminist lens to these women's experiences, as they navigated school and welfare and juggled family responsibilities and classroom obligations. Women in welfare face various jeopardies of race, class, and have been stereotyped and maligned. As such the challenges they face are often uniquely different than the typical student.

Implications for policy, practice, and research regarding the experiences of these women at academic institutions are examined. I analyzed ways in which welfare and institutional policies and practice make the journey arduous and isolated. These women were invisible on campus and as such, were underserved. I explored ways that policy and institutional practice may ameliorate this problem. Finally, I reflected on questions and topics for future research.