No holding back this young PhD graduate
FOR University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) School of Accounting, Economics and Finance academic Tamlyn McKenzie, completing her PhD as a mom with a new-born son as well as a young daughter was not easy, but definitely worth it.
“I had both my children while pursuing my PhD. My four-year-old daughter was born in the early years of my study and I had to take a break to manage being a first-time mom in a new job at UKZN,” said McKenzie.
Her son was born in August this year. “I was pregnant while completing my thesis – and the whole experience highlighted for me the significant challenges women, in particular, face in their pursuit of higher education. Balancing your time between your family and children and your thesis is very difficult and results in sacrifices. Time sacrifices are sometimes frustrating, because they usually result in taking longer to graduate.”
McKenzie’s research was fuelled by her passion for children and adults with disabilities, and their access to education.
Her thesis is titled “Childhood and Adult Disability: Impacts on Education and the Labour Market in South Africa, constructs nationally representative measures of disability, and quantifies
disability gaps experienced by children in education and by adults in the labour market”.
The study was supervised by Dr Jill Hanass-Hancock and Dr Claire Vermaak.
“My PhD thesis is deeply personal. I watched my late grandfather become a paraplegic after a surgical mistake and the difficulties he faced in the days following. He had financial resources and family support, whereas many people in similar situations do not,” said McKenzie.
She added that her personal experience with a close friend whose child has Down Syndrome and their endless struggles in gaining access to the education system, despite South Africa’s policy for inclusive education, also motivated her research.
“My friend has financial resources and strong social networks, and yet the family still has difficulties accessing schooling. It made me increasingly concerned about people who don’t have the means or the knowledge to support themselves or their own children with disabilities.”
McKenzie’s research found that if children with disabilities are given equitable access to education, their labour market prospects (employment and earnings) as adults are better.
“Education is therefore a key driver of better socioeconomic outcomes for people with disabilities, yet children with disabilities are disproportionately out of school.
“Policymakers should focus attention on ensuring equitable educational opportunities for people with disabilities. In addition, my study offers a novel contribution to the literature by using a variety of measures of disability to capture the experiences of as many people with disabilities as possible. The results demonstrate that children and adults with severe or multiple disabilities are impacted the most overall.”