Adult Learning and Feminism - Report Example

Adult learning and feminism Name: Instructors Name: Course title: Institution: Date: Introduction `The need to acquire education has become vital for people of all ages across the world. As a result of this, education among adults has become more popular in many countries, and ranges from self-directed learning to e-learning and class-based learning. Caffarella & Olson (1993) argues that adult education has been regarded as the process of one being freed from oppressions of being illiterate, way of gaining skills and knowledge, a method of critical self-reflections leading to a substantial transformation. It is important to indicate that attainment of adult education among women has become hard to attain as compared to men in different parts of the world. The challenges facing women varies significantly from economic barriers to conflict of roles among other notable factors (Kramarae, 2010).This paper will critically evaluate the aspect of adult learning and feminism and the proactive steps to be taken to avoid stigmatization of vocation education for men and liberal education. Adult Learning and Feminism The ideas of the lifelong learning envision people provided with the learning opportunities at varied years and in several contexts, such as at work place, through leisure, at home among other notable activities and not just through the formal education. The lifelong education can be obtained through methods like distance learning, correspondence courses, e-learning among others. Such continuing or adult education for the people having passed the age of normal education includes the postgraduate programs to improve on ones qualifications, retrain for new lines of work and updating the required skills. Spencer (2006) argues that adult learning or education is the exercise of teaching as well as educating the adults. This takes place takes place in areas, such as workplaces, through extension schools or the schools of continuing education. Bierema & Storberg-Walker (2007) argues that among all the groups of people attending adult education across the world, women forms at least 60% of the adult learners. However, it is worth noting that considerations for the women concerning adult learning have persistently been left out of planning processes. This is evidence through the deficit model approach, which is often used by many educators across the globe. The model assumes that women learners must catch-up with the other society, thus potentially failing to consider diverse experience and knowledge that learners bring to the learning environments. The result of these kinds of failures results to women feeling devaluated and defeated that sabotages what can be otherwise a successful learning experience for the women. It is worth noting that effective adult education among women can vary significantly from the vocational education that is work-based for improvement of skills and from the non-formal type of adult education, which includes the education for personal development or learning skills. In the modern times, adult education has significantly grown, due to the effects of industrialization that requires skilled workforce. Spencer (2006) argues that the success of women in the adult learning process is hindered through the economic and corporate sponsorships on both the human resources development and formal education. Most of the corporate sponsored models place male oriented values, like aggressions and seek out of the profit as well as tangible results first. The adult learning theory also fails in depth of considering the gender differences in the adult learners. Studies on the women learners indicate variations in linear adult life stages, a model that that has been used to describe development of men. As a result of this, different methods of looking at development of the women have been proposed. Home (1998) argues examination of municipality of roles and social connectedness of women and reconsideration of presumed linear natures of the adult developments. They also indicate that, there is no any theory, which can explain the breath of experiences, although this is likely to be true for men too. It is worth noting that adult education has unfortunately failed to consider the barriers of participation to women, whether the barriers comes in the forms of technological or economic barriers, role of conflicts, the larger macro level issues among other notable elements. For instance, the conflicting roles played by women, such as being a wife, mother, worker, community member, and learner all have the potentiality of creating conflicts, which distracts them from participating in adult education (Spencer, 2006). It can also be noted that, over 80% of women face economic hardships because of reduced earning levels and technological barriers that are attributable to “digital divide”. This indicates that reduced access to technology among women has resulted to lower participation in education through modern methods like online learning. Stalker (1998) argues that technological advances have increased the need of women adult education along other notable factors, such as increased consciousness of rights to fulfil people’s potentialities among other notable factors. At the same time, women education is beneficial to the society as it supports development of members of the society by allowing them to contribute effectively and fully to the community activities. The other element that ahs hindered effective adult education among women is due to the personalization of adult education. In the previous years, women were highly in involved as learners and as educators, when the field of adult education was considered as a profession. As the field tends to become more professionalized and conferences and journals devoted to this area started to appear, there have been a narrowing of the notion of what composed the significant adult education and on the ones who qualifies to be adult educators. The “circle effects” where the women were not incorporated in the circles of the men, who decided on what to be included in the adult education, made women not to be, included in the leadership positions. It is desirable and admirable for researchers and adult education to accommodate and recognize the issues relating to gender as well as paying attention to issues relating to adult education among women. It is important to note that, inspired learning experiences, which incorporate feminist pedagogies, can be developed. These models includes element, such as constructive, transformational, situated learning among others (Miles, 2010). Overcoming barriers associated to women’s learning The potential barriers facing women learning process can be effectively dealt with. Adult educators should plan ahead for the likely role conflicts and developing openness and skills important in identification and assisting in working around the conflicts. For instance, steps should be adopted to minimise on the financial barriers facing women through aid programs. Technological barriers can be reduced through the access to technical help among other notable methods. Generally, adult educators must remain vigilant in rectifying and indentifying within those in the spheres of influences of macro-level barriers. It is also imperative that the adult education researchers start to recognize as well as incorporate research and practices that not only focuses or includes on the women, but also authenticates the non-formal, informal, social, grassroots and learning experiences, which are mostly women-focused or women-driven. Proactive steps to be taken to avoid the stigmatization of vocational education for men and liberal education It is important to indicate that vocation or professional education is the bulk of the adult education in most parts of the world. Adults having little or no marketable experience or skills in the work place, usually attends vocational education program at the technical colleges, community colleges or even in the universities (Caffarella & Olson, 1993). This way they are able to earn themselves earn degrees or certificates in manual or technical professionals, thus improve on general standards, relation in work place among other notable areas of life. However, it is important to note that the success of the adult education through vocational education among men and liberal education has been faced with high levels of stigmatization as compared to that of the female counterparts. Home (1998) indicates that liberal education is a method to learning, which empowers people and prepares them to effectively deal with diversity, complexity and changes. Some of the challenges facing men, who participates in vocation education includes, issues and problems relating to personal preparation, attitudes, interagency agreements and cooperation, funding, stigmatization among others. These factors have hindered the access quality adult education among men, thus reducing their participation levels in development. Home (1998) indicates that stigmatization of the vocational education for men and liberal education has resulted to poor participation of men. Currently, it is estimated that, of all people who participate in vocation and liberal education, men only compose 33% (Spencer, 2006). To overcome this, some proactive measures aimed at raising the number of men involved in these education programs should be urgently adopted. First, governments should educate the general population on the importance of vocation trainings (Caffarella & Olson, 1993). This way adult educators, among other stakeholders in the adult and liberal education sectors will readily accept men, thus reduced stigmatization. Further, financial, technical and psychological support should be availed to men who participate in liberal and adult education. For example, the financial support will relieve men, the financial burdens, which they face during the time of vocation training. By adopting these methods, the stigmatization levels of adult and liberal education among men will decrease, hence giving them equal chances for constructive development (Tisdell, 1998). Conclusion From the above information, one can see the need of embracing adult education across various parts of the world. It is also worth noting that adult education leads to economic growth and development, natures imaginations and creativity, ensure respect to the values and beliefs of people from different culture among other notable importance. To attain the desired outcomes of adult education, equal opportunities of participation has to be offered to both the women and men. For instance, due to economic hardships facing women, financial and technical assistances should be offered to women, thus giving them a platform to access adult education. Further, stigmatization of vocation and liberal education among the men should be highly discouraged. This will eventually encourage men to accesses vocation education, hence raised chances of equal participation in economic and technological growth across various parts of the world (Miles, 2010). References Bierema, L., & Storberg-Walker, J. (2007). Tracing HRD's Rational Masculine Roots: Feminist Alternatives for a More Mindful HRD. Adult Education Research Conference Proceedings. Caffarella, R., & Olson, K. (1993). Psychosocial Development of Women: A Critical Review of the Literature. Adult Education Quarterly, 43(3), 125-151. Home, A. M. (1998). Predicting Role Conflict, Overload and Contagion in Adult Women University Students with Families and Jobs. Adult Education Quarterly, 48(2), 85-97. Kramarae, C. (2010). Excerpts from The Third Shift: Women Learning Online. Retrieved October 18, 2011 from http://www.uoregon.edu/~cheris/third%20shift.pdf Miles, A. (2010). Learning from the Women's Movement in the Neo-Liberal Period. In Learning for Life (pp. 250-258). Toronto: Thompson Educational Publishing. Spencer, B. (2006). The Purposes of Adult Education: A Short Introduction. Toronto: Thompson Educational Publishing. Stalker, J. (1998). Women in the History of Adult Education: Misogynist Responses to our Participation. In Learning for Life (pp. 238-249). Toronto: Thompson Educational Publishing. Tisdell, E. J. (1998). Poststructural Feminist Pedagogies: The Possibilities and Limitations of Feminist Emancipatory Adult Learning Theory and Practice. Adult Education Quarterly, 48(3), 139-156. Read More