Gender,First-Generation Vulnerability,and Help-Seeking

Abstract

First-generation college students—that is, those for whom neither parent holds a bachelor’s degree—face important challenges that tend to undercut their completion of a 4-year degree, yet they also often engage in proactive behaviors aimed at stabilizing their college experiences. In this article, we interrogate specifically the gendered character of such processes by focusing on (1) potential differences in the vulnerabilities that first-generation women and men report; and (2) whether and/or how the timing, extent, and type of help-seeking they engage in differs when such challenges arise. Our analyses draw on unique and rich semistructured interviews with 61 first-generation college students across 4 years. Our findings, beyond pointing to general academic, social, and financial obstacles, highlight unique gender patterns when it comes to self-reported mental health challenges and family tensions, as well as gender gaps in help-seeking—that is, help-seeking that tends to boost the likelihood of college completion. We elaborate on our most central gender findings in these regards and discuss ways in which these rich over time accounts inform sociological literatures on mobility, inequality, gender, intersectionality, and higher education.