Final answer:
The main reason mature-age women do not complete their degrees is due to family responsibilities. This challenge is often intensified for women from lower socioeconomic backgrounds facing additional barriers like financial contributions to the household and limited support.
Step-by-step explanation:
The most common reason given for why mature-age women do not finish their degrees is family responsibilities. This pertains significantly to the challenging balance women often face between academics and familial obligations. Unlike their male counterparts, women tend to bear a disproportionate share of family caregiving, which can directly conflict with educational demands. This can sometimes create a barrier to completing higher education, as women caring for families might struggle with both time and energy to devote to their studies. Such responsibilities can include caring for children, ailing family members, or managing household needs. This dynamic is further exacerbated when there is a lack of financial support, accessible child care, and flexible academic programs that accommodate non-traditional students.
Socioeconomic factors also play a critical role, as students from lower economic backgrounds, regardless of their academic abilities or aspiration, often lack the same opportunities as those from higher-income families. Issues such as contributing financially to the household, poor study environments, and a lack of familial support, especially when coupled with societal expectations and traditional roles, make it more challenging for women to persist and succeed in academia.