Not What Every Other Girl Wants: American Indian Women's Educational Aspirations

Abstract

American Indian (AI) women participate in and complete higher education at better rates than AI males, yet both are underrepresented and unlikely to persist. This study examined the role of factors such as demographics, future goals, individual attributes, family background, precollege educational experiences, values, religion, and culture on AI women's educational aspirations. Findings indicated that aspirations primarily resulted from the desire for a better quality of life, personal growth, and stability for themselves and their immediate and extended families. The women, most of whom had completed either an associate's or a bachelor's degree, wanted to be role models and improve the lives of others—immediate and extended families, and tribes. For these women, a strong aspiration for higher education, resulting from religious- and family-instilled values, resulted in the decision to enroll and to complete some level of education.