Online communities of practice and doctoral study: working women with children resisting perpetual peripherality

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article examines the lived experience of working women with ‘children’ (defined as under 18 years old) undertaking part-time PhD study. While there is much literature on the isolation of doctoral experience, the issue of, ‘mothers’ and all this identity may entail, has been overlooked. Drawing on 35 in-depth interviews, the experiences of this marginalised group in the higher education sector are explored. The study’s findings underline the tension between the public, private and professional domains, and the important role online Communities of Practice (CoPs) can play in overcoming peripherality and helping to manage the context of gendered organisational cultures. The article highlights the role of online CoP in enhancing the experience of an otherwise marginalised group, providing a space for self-expression, the development of a shared repertoire, and mutual engagement. It also has resonance in relation to the changing situation generated by the COVID-19 pandemic.