And now woman?

An analysis of the career and family of university women from a Public University

Abstract

The study investigated the main obstacles and/or opportunities that women students from a public university experience when reconciling career and family. For data analysis, inferential statistics were used. The population comprised women students from the last year of the Administration course at the State University of Paraná – UNESPAR/Campus Paranaguá. The sampling was of the simple random type. In order calculate the sample size, a tolerable sampling error of 10% was used. Most of the interviewees work outside the home, are aged between 18 and 29 years old, they are single, do not have children and their income is between one and three minimum Brazilian wage. The multiplicity of simultaneous roles often assumed by some women (mother, housewife, student, wife among others) requires an effort, sometimes undervalued, to reconcile and adapt the demands of the family, social, professional and academic environment. Despite the existence of a support network, the challenges as a woman in reconciling the various activities make us reflect on whether such support actually is materialized in practice.