Children of single parents ‘marginalised’ in higher education

Offspring of lone parents are an overlooked group in widening participation, study suggests. The children of single parents are marginalised and must overcome expectations of failure to succeed in higher education, according to a study. Research by Jessica Gagnon, who recently completed a PhD at the University of Sussex, suggests that the offspring of lone parents are an overlooked group in widening participation and student support. While US studies have found that such children are less likely to enter higher education and to gain a degree, few quantitative studies of this kind have been carried out in the UK. At the conference of the British Sociological Association on 7 April, Dr Gagnon was due to present the results of interviews with 26 daughters of single mothers, which suggest that similar challenges may exist in the UK. Read More