Entre prazos e afetos: uma narrativa autobiográfica sobre os desafios para conclusão de curso de uma mãe universitária

Abstract

This work addresses the challenges faced by a university mother in maintaining and completing the Bachelor's degree in Biological Sciences at the Federal University of Uberlândia (UFU) through an autobiographical narrative. The text aims to reflect on the impacts of motherhood on the academic trajectory, analyzing the obstacles, the meanings attributed to the reconciliation between university life and the exercise of motherhood, and the factors that allowed the completion of the course. Methodologically, it is a qualitative research, with a narrative-reflective and autobiographical approach, based on the writing of a reflective account and the dialog with studies on motherhood in higher education, student retention, and support policies for student mothers. The reflections of this work point out that single motherhood, associated with work demands, family responsibilities, and the absence of specific institutional policies, contributed to interruptions, failures, prolonged graduation time, and feelings of overload, guilt, and insecurity. At the same time, the research demonstrates that family support networks, welcoming relationships established with colleagues and professors, as well as the re-signification of the maternal experience itself, were fundamental elements for the continuity of academic training. Moreover, the identification with the investigated theme and the possibility of transforming one's own trajectory into an object of reflection and knowledge production were decisive factors for the completion of this work and the undergraduate course. It is concluded that motherhood does not, by itself, constitute an impediment to university permanence, but rather highlights structural limitations of society and higher education institutions in accommodating the specific needs of student mothers. It is hoped that this study will contribute to expanding the debate on motherhood and higher education, encouraging the formulation of institutional policies that promote greater inclusion, visibility, and academic permanence.