33. Gender and Education
Paper
Older Women Participation To Overcome Ageism
Itxaso Tellado1, Laura Ruiz-Eugenio2, Gisela Redondo-Sama3
1University of Vic - Central University of Catalonia; 2University of Barcelona; 3Rovira i Virgili University
Presenting Author: Tellado, Itxaso;
Ruiz-Eugenio, Laura
This paper presents the latest developments on education made by the Spanish National research project Democratic Participation of Older Women to Overcome Ageism (ref. 38-3-ID22. Instituto de las Mujeres. Ministerio de Igualdad). This project aims to contribute to overcoming ageism and sexism through the identification of contributions of social impact that older women are making and that contribute to reducing gender inequalities and ageism in three areas: social participation, formal and non-formal education, and health. Firstly, the barriers and difficulties that prevent a democratic, equal, active, direct, inclusive, and sustainable participation of older women in the three areas identified are examined. Secondly, the contributions that older women are making to overcome these barriers are analysed, paying special attention to the intersection of inequalities in addition to ageism, such as the participation of women without higher academic degrees, cultural minorities, religious diversity, women in rural areas, older women with disabilities, among others.
Considering the theme of this year’s ECER 2023 conference on recognising other forms of diversity in learning contexts as well as seeking to highlight the successes and challenges resulting from the commitment of educational researchers and educational research to address and include diversity in all aspects of what we do. The main objective of this research project is to Identify barriers and difficulties that prevent the democratic, egalitarian, active and direct participation of older women in the field of social participation, formal and non-formal education, and health; along with making visible the contributions of social impact that older women are making and that contribute to reducing gender inequalities and ageism in the three areas studied. For this paper, we will focus on the area of education.
According to the WHO (2022), ageism is the third cause of discrimination in the world after racism and sexism. When age is used to categorize and divide people causing harm, disadvantage and injustice, it is ageism. This can take many forms, including bias, discrimination, institutional policies and practices that perpetuate stereotyped beliefs. Ageism can be institutional, interpersonal, or self-inflicted (WHO, 2022). A study carried out in 57 countries estimated the global prevalence of discrimination based on age towards the elderly, finding that one in two people has moderate or highly ageist attitudes.
In scientific research on aging, gender has been considered as a transversal determinant that affects in a relevant way. However, research on aging from a gender perspective is still scarce (Fernández-Mayoralas et al., 2018). The traditional exclusion of older women from academic research is illustrative of the gerontophobia of our culture (Freixas et al., 2012). The WHO World Report on Ageism (2022) concludes that more research is needed to better understand all aspects of ageism and that scientific evidence is needed on the efficacy of strategies to reduce ageism.
The Decade of Healthy Aging 2021-2030 promoted by the United Nations represents an opportunity and a unique international framework to improve the quality of life, health and well-being of older women from the perspective of the Sustainable Development Goals. The United Nations and WHO have identified four main areas of action to promote healthy aging; one of them is the fight against discrimination based on age.
Methodology, Methods, Research Instruments or Sources UsedAn interdisciplinary and interuniversity group of researchers have conducted qualitative theoretical and empirical research with a communicative orientation approach (Gomez, Puigvert & Flecha, 2011). This research approach favours the co-creation of knowledge based on equal dialogue with the women who participate in the research and with other groups. Besides conducting a review of the international scientific literature on the topic, the research team contacted a selection of organisations and initiatives previously identified and with a history of previous collaboration. Qualitative data was gathered by means of communicative life stories and discussion groups. Data was gathered in the section of education through five communicative life stories with older women who participate democratically in education and who, through their participation, contribute to overcoming ageism and other gender inequalities. Likewise, three interviews and a communicative discussion group was conducted with professionals and social agents to make visible both the barriers that hinder the democratic and equal participation of older women from an intersectional perspective, as well as the strategies and actions that some organizations and professionals carry out to contribute to overcome these barriers. Finally, another communicative discussion group was conducted with older women who participate democratically in education.
The data was transcribed and analysed with the support of the ATLAS.ti Qualitative Data Analysis program and in accordance with the communicative orientation of the research, the analysis of the information allowed the identification of excluding and transforming components. The exclusionary components are those conditions, difficulties, and barriers that people and groups encounter and that reinforce the situation of inequality or exclusion. In the project, those barriers, conditions, elements, interactions that prevent or hinder the democratic participation of older women in the fields of social, educational and health participation (both at the system level and in the world of life).
Conclusions, Expected Outcomes or FindingsThe expected outcomes will be aimed at overcoming ageism and associated gender discrimination, providing evidence of contributions, traditionally invisible and underappreciated, that older women make in the three specific areas of social participation, formal and non-formal education, and health.
For example, the isolation situation produced by COVID-19 has been doubly negative for the elderly, both in residences and those who had to reduce their physical activity and social interaction at home. During the pandemic, older women were twice as likely to report depressive symptoms compared to men, although the unique experiences and needs of older women during the pandemic remain largely unknown (Reppas-Rindlisbacher et al., 2022 ). Similarly, previously existing negative stereotypes and images against older people increased during the pandemic, projecting an image of helplessness, fragility and being unable to contribute to society (Ayalon et al., 2021). Something that the United Nations has also denounced (2022).
A recent study carried out in a school for adults in which older people from different economic, ideological or professional backgrounds participate, found that, for older people, participating in educational activities in the adult school has a positive impact on relationships of friendship that they develop, as well as in their health and well-being (León-Jiménez, 2020). Dialogical participation of older people in communities improves their lives and those of the community (Tellado, 2017). The discrimination of ageism together with sexism causes invisibility and that older women are perceived as a homogeneous group, which implies a risk of neglect by institutional resources that needs to be analysed (Damonti & Amigot, 2021).
The findings of this research aim to provide insights into the local, national and European organisations to challenge the difficulties that many older women still face today.
ReferencesAyalon, L., Chasteen, A., Diehl, M., Levy, B. R., Neupert, S. D., Rothermund, K., Tesch-Römer, C., & Wahl, H.-W. (2021). Aging in Times of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Avoiding Ageism and Fostering Intergenerational Solidarity. The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, 76(2), e49-e52. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbaa051
Damonti, P. & Amigot, P. (2021).Gender-based intimate partner violence against older women. A qualitative analysis of its characteristics and its impact on health. Research on Ageing and Social Policy, 9(1), 79-103. http://10.4471/rasp.2021.5278
Fernández-Mayoralas, G., Schettini, R., Sánchez-Román, M., Rojo-Pérez, F., Agulló, M. S., & João Forjaz, M. (2018). El papel del género en el buen envejecer. Una revisión sistemática desde la perspectiva científica. Revista Prisma Social, (21), 149–176. https://revistaprismasocial.es/article/view/2422
Freixas, Anna; Luque, Bárbara; Reina, Amalia (2012). Critical Feminist Gerontology: In the Back Room of Research. Journal of Women & Aging, 24(1), 44–58. doi:10.1080/08952841.2012.638891
Gomez, A., Puigvert, L., & Flecha, R. (2011). Critical Communicative Methodology: Informing Real Social Transformation Through Research. Qualitative Inquiry, 17(3), 235–245. doi: 10.1177/1077800410397802
León-Jiménez, S. (2020). “This Brings you to Life” The Impact of Friendship on Health and Well-being in Old Age: the Case of La Verneda Learning Community. Research on Ageing and Social Policy, 8(2), 191-215. http://10.4471/rasp.2020.5538
WHO (2022). Informe mundial sobre el edadismo. https://doi.org/10.37774/9789275324455
Reppas-Rindlisbacher, C., Mahar, A., Siddhpuria, S., Savage, R., Hallet, J., & Rochon, P. (2022). Gender Differences in Mental Health Symptoms Among Canadian Older Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic: a Cross-Sectional Survey. Canadian geriatrics journal : CGJ, 25(1), 49–56. https://doi.org/10.5770/cgj.25.532
Tellado,I. (2017). Bridges between individuals and communities: dialogic participation fueling meaningful social engagement. Research on Ageing and Social Policy,5(1), 8-31.doi: 10.4471/rasp.2017.2389
33. Gender and Education
Paper
Socio-educational Intervention with Incarcerated Women in Spain
Anaïs Quiroga-Carrillo, Laura García-Docampo, Noemí Castelo Veiga
Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Spain
Presenting Author: Quiroga-Carrillo, Anaïs
Women offenders have been silenced in scientific research for decades (Lorenzo, 2002). The quantitative gap that has always existed between male and female offending, as well as the sexist prejudices that have traditionally been held against women, led deviance theorists to ignore and even distort their specificities (Belknap, 2014).
Behind prison walls, their needs are often forgotten, and the spaces, security regimes and interventions respond to the male profile of most of the prison population (Ballesteros & Almeda, 2015; Lorenzo, 2002). In our country, women account for barely 7% of the total (Secretaría General de Instituciones Penitenciarias [SGIP], 2022), although this is a higher percentage than in Europe, as Spain is the member state of the European Union with the highest number of women prisoners (Aebi et al., 2022).
The studies that have analysed the characteristics of women offenders, mostly in the Anglo-Saxon sphere, point to profiles defined by gender and racial inequality and marked by poverty, family problems and violence (Wright et al., 2012). They are women with educational deficiencies, family responsibilities and economic difficulties (Jiménez & Yagüe, 2017) who have often suffered abuse at an early age or intimate partner violence (Caravaca-Sánchez et al., 2019). And this past is also frequently accompanied by diagnoses of mental illness and drug addiction (Fazel et al., 2016), which reduces their opportunities to lead a prosocial life.
On the other hand, one of the issues on which research on female offending is consistent is the differences between the profiles of the two genders. Male offending tends to be more varied and violent (Salisbury et al., 2009), while female offending focus on stick to specific typologies and is not accompanied by violence (Loeber et al., 2017). Women mainly commit offences against public health and property (Almeda, 2017), the latter usually involving petty theft.
However, adaptation to the prison regime is also different. Men pose a greater institutional risk, as conflicts are often resolved through physical violence and there are more escape attempts (Steiner & Wooldredge, 2009). In contrast, female inmates rarely get involved in assaults, fights or escapes. Their conflicts tend to be limited to disobeying orders from prison staff and arguing with other women (Chávez & Añaños-Bedriñana, 2018), which is often caused by the lack of internal separation in the women’s modules. In addition, greater psychological distress has been demonstrated in the female prison population, mainly due to separation from families and children (Lempert, 2016).
Thus, for years, the literature has pointed out that the consequences of incarceration are more pernicious for women, not only because the system does not adapt to their characteristics or respond effectively to their needs (Lorenzo, 2002), but also because it generates a very marked destructuring of the family (Belknap, 2014). Furthermore, by receiving shorter sentences, the resocialising purpose of prison ends up losing its significance.
In this context, it is necessary to analyse whether the socio-educational intervention developed in prison is adapted to the needs and characteristics of women. In this work we aim to study their participation in the socio-educational interventions of prison and to identify their perceptions of gender discrimination during incarceration. This work is part of a doctoral thesis which is being supported by the Government of Spain through a pre-doctoral contract for “University Professor Training” (FPU17/00373).
Methodology, Methods, Research Instruments or Sources UsedIn this descriptive study, 376 women inmates in various Spanish prisons participated. In order to access them, we opted for a two-stage sampling.
At a first level, we chose the penitentiary centres, following a purposive sampling. Given that in Spain female prisoners can serve their sentences in both women’s modules of ordinary prisons and in women’s centres, we included in our study the three women’s prisons of the General State Administration and four ordinary prisons with a women’s module. At the second level, we selected the female inmates of these centres by means of an accidental sampling. In total, 720 inmates were part of the invited sample, although the data-producing sample was reduced to 376.
For the study, we designed a questionnaire consisting of 35 questions organised in seven blocks:
1. Socio-demographic data (7 questions).
2. Family profile (7 questions).
3. Educational and employment profile (4 questions).
4. Offending profile (4 questions).
5. Intervention needs (9 questions).
6. Socio-educational intervention in prison (7 questions).
7. Expectations for release (2 questions).
The fieldwork was carried out between September and December 2021, after obtaining the corresponding permissions from the Bioethics Committee of the University of Santiago de Compostela and the SGIP.
Conclusions, Expected Outcomes or FindingsThe descriptive analysis of the participation of women in the socio-educational intervention of prisons allows us to extract the following data: 67% are enrolled in some course of official education, basically in Secondary Education or Adult Literacy; 47.1% are employed in productive workshops; 72% participate in training programmes, with a concentration in certain feminised activities (sewing or hairdressing); and 56.7% are involved in specific intervention programmes, with drug addiction treatment and the prevention of gender violence standing out.
With regard to their perceptions of gender discrimination in prison, and focusing on the programmes and activities that comprise the socio-educational intervention, we can conclude the following: in general terms, the inmates state that there is a very limited offer of programmes specifically aimed at women; but some also consider that they cannot participate in the socio-educational intervention with the same opportunities as male inmates, that the programmes are not adapted to their needs, and that equality between men and women is not promoted.
Contrasting these data with the type of prison, we found a statistically significant relationship in the perception of discrimination in programmes and activities, r(376) = .36, p < .01, with inmates in male prisons perceiving a situation of greater discrimination.
In the light of these results, it is possible to affirm that incarcerated women are subject to a series of situations of inequality that hinder, on the one hand, the development of programmes adapted to the gender perspective and, on the other, their equal access to all the activities in which men can participate.
ReferencesAebi, M. F., Cocco, E., Molnar, L., & Tiago, M. M. (2022). SPACE I - 2021 – Council of Europe Annual Penal Statistics: Prison populations. Council of Europe. https://wp.unil.ch/space/files/2022/05/Aebi-Cocco-Molnar-Tiago_2022__SPACE-I_2021_FinalReport_220404.pdf
Almeda, E. (2017). Criminologías feministas, investigación y cárceles de mujeres en España. Papers. Revista de Sociología, 102(2), 151-181. https://doi.org/10.5565/rev/papers.2334
Ballesteros, A., & Almeda, E. (2015). Políticas de igualdad en las cárceles del siglo XXI. Avances, retrocesos y retos en la práctica del encarcelamiento femenino. Praxis Sociológica, 19, 161-186. https://dialnet.unirioja.es/servlet/articulo?codigo=5383983
Belknap, J. (2014). The Invisible Woman. Gender, Crime and Justice (4ª ed.). Wadsworth Publishing Company.
Caravaca-Sánchez, F., Fearn, N. E., Vidovic, K. R., & Vaughn, M. G. (2019). Female Prisoners in Spain: Adverse Childhood Experiences, Negative Emotional States, and Social Support. Health & Social Work, 44(3), 157-166. https://doi.org/10.1093/hsw/hlz013
Chávez, M., & Añaños-Bedriñana, F. T. (2018). Mujeres en prisiones españolas. Violencia, conflictos y acciones para la paz. Relaciones. Estudios de Historia y Sociedad, 155, 9-41. http://dx.doi.org/10.24901/rehs.v39i155.313
Fazel, S., Hayes, A. J., Bartellas, K., Clerici, M., & Trestman, R. (2016). The mental health of prisoners: a review of prevalence, adverse outcomes and interventions. The Lancet Psychiatry, 3(9), 871-881. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2215-0366(16)30142-0
Jiménez, F., & Yagüe, C. (2017). Perfiles sociodemográficos de las mujeres en las prisiones españolas. In F. T. Añaños-Bedriñana (Dir.), En prisión. Realidades e intervención socioeducativa y drogodependencias en mujeres (pp. 57-70). Narcea Ediciones.
Lempert, L. B. (2016). Women doing life: gender, punishment and the struggle for identity. New York University Press.
Loeber, R., Jennings, W. G., Ahonen, L., Piquero, A. R., & Farrington, D. P. (2017). Female Delinquency from Childhood to Young Adulthood. Recent Results from the Pittsburgh Girls Study. Springer.
Lorenzo, M. (2002). La delincuencia femenina. Psicothema, 14(Supl.), 174-180. http://www.psicothema.com/pdf/3488.pdf
Salisbury, E. J., Van Voorhis, P., & Spiropoulos, G. V. (2009). The predictive validity of a gender-responsive needs assessment: An exploratory study. Crime & Delinquency, 55, 550-585. https://doi.org/10.1177/0011128707308102
Secretaría General de Instituciones Penitenciarias. (2022). Datos estadísticos de la población reclusa. Enero 2022. Ministerio del Interior. https://www.institucionpenitenciaria.es/documents/20126/890869/ENERO+2022.pdf/471c5784-9d55-4244-a758-11b4eda49fbd?version=1.0
Steiner, B., & Wooldredge, J. (2009). Individual and Environmental Effects on Assaults and Nonviolent Rule Breaking by Women in Prison. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 46(4), 437-467. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022427809341936
Wright, E. M., Van Voorhis, P., Salisbury, E. J., & Bauman, A. (2012). Gender-Responsive Lessons Learned and Policy Implications for Women in Prison: A review. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 39(12), 1612-1632. https://doi.org/10.1177/0093854812451088
33. Gender and Education
Paper
The Attitudes of University Students towards the LGBTIQ+ Collective: A Comparative Study
Mayra Urrea-Solano1, Diego Gavilán Martín1, Paulo Renato Cardoso de Jesus2, Gladys Merma-Molina1
1University of Alicante, Spain; 2Universidade Portucalense, Oporto
Presenting Author: Urrea-Solano, Mayra;
Gavilán Martín, Diego
The legal recognition achieved by the LGBTIQ+ community in most Western countries has not been reflected in the improvement of their integration into society (De Witte et al., 2019). In fact, with noteworthy frequency, members of this collective are subject to exclusionary and discriminatory practices in multiple facets of their lives. Thus, it is possible to note the various difficulties they experience at the occupational, family, social or educational level (Bayrakdar & King, 2023). The result of this situation is the emergence of the term “LGBTI-phobia”, which refers to the attitudes of rejection and discrimination experienced by people who are part of this collective and which have serious consequences for their complete vital development (Aguirre et al., 2021).
Higher Education institutions are not free from this type of prejudice either. In fact, the existence of such attitudes among university students is a matter of growing interest among the scientific community (Silver & Krietzberg, 2023). Thus, it has been shown that, despite the existence of a greater awareness of affective-sexual diversity, students belonging to the LGBTIQ+ collective are often victims of subtle and indirect rejection by their peers and professors (Arslantas et al., 2022). Even in some cases, the existence of insults, harassment and aggressions has been revealed, which are very rarely reported for fear of reprisals and/or lack of institutional support (Dueñas et al., 2021; Gallardo-Nieto et al., 2021). In this sense, it cannot be ignored that the presence of this type of attitudes and prejudices among future professionals constitutes an element that clearly favors the perpetuation of the exclusion and marginalization experienced by LGBTIQ+ people (Ferfolja et al., 2020). It has also been found that attitudes of rejection are more frequent among male students, those of older age and those who do not receive training in affective-sexual diversity in their degree (Ardman et al., 2021; Rodríguez, 2017). Thus, it has been found that those who study Medicine have a more negative position than those who study other degrees such as Nursing (Török et al., 2022). Nevertheless, more comparative studies are still needed in this area to identify the differences that exist according to the fields of knowledge. Based on this, and in order to contribute to the improvement of LGBTIQ+ integration in Higher Education institutions, the present study aimed to: (1) identify and analyze the attitudes of university students in the Social and Legal Sciences and STEM areas towards the LGBTIQ+ collective; (2) compare these attitudes according to the disciplinary area studied.
Methodology, Methods, Research Instruments or Sources UsedTo achieve these objectives, the non-experimental method was used, and a descriptive and comparative analysis was carried out. The study involved the participation of 891 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral students at the University of Alicante (Spain). Of these, 450 were studying for a degree in Social and Legal Sciences. The sample, of a non-probabilistic nature, was formed employing available sampling. Regarding the sociodemographic profile of the sample, 94.4% identified themselves as cisgender, 52.7% were aged between 21-30 years, and 82.2% were studying for a degree.
Data were collected using the Multidimensional Scale of Attitudes toward Lesbians and Gays (Gato et al., 2014) and the adaptation of the Transgender Attitudes and Beliefs Scale (TABS) to the Spanish context (López-Sáez et al., 2022). The first, composed of 27 items organized into 4 dimensions —Rejection of proximity, Pathologization of homosexuality, Modern heterosexism, and Support—, aims to identify attitudes towards gay and lesbian people. The second is composed of 29 items structured in 3 factors —Interpersonal comfort, Human value, and Beliefs regarding gender identity—. In this case, the objective is to identify attitudes towards the trans community. In both cases, the response options range from 1 (Strongly disagree) to 6 (Strongly agree). To these items, 4 closed questions were added to collect sociodemographic information (gender, age, level of studies and area of knowledge to which the studies belonged). Cronbach’s coefficient analysis of both instruments yielded a remarkable reliability index (α = .94 and α = .96, respectively). To facilitate the dissemination, completion and processing of the data, the final instrument was constructed using Google Forms.
After approval of the study by the Ethics Committee of the University of Alicante, the institution was asked for a distribution list of student e-mail addresses. The questionnaire was sent by e-mail. The e-mail informed of the purpose of the study, the voluntary nature of participation, and the anonymity and confidentiality of the data provided. The data were collected during the first semester of the 2022-2023 academic year. These were collected during the first semester of the 2022-2023 academic year. The data collected were processed and analyzed using SPSS version 25 software, which was used to carry out a descriptive and comparative analysis. When identifying possible differences, the lack of normality in the responses —assessed by the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test (p < .05)— led to the use of the nonparametric Mann-Whitney U statistical test.
Conclusions, Expected Outcomes or FindingsAccording to the results, the total sample showed a priori a positive attitude towards gender minorities. Among other aspects, the students did not mind that their friends belonged to the LGBTIQ+ community, believed that they could be good parents, and rejected discrimination against the collective. Consistent with this, the participants were in favor of the struggle and defense of LGBTIQ+ rights, and strongly affirmed that a course on sexual education should include all sexual orientations. Despite this, some stereotypical beliefs were present in their responses, such as, for example, the predisposition to think of people of the opposite sex when talking about romantic relationships. As for the comparative analysis, some significant differences were noted. In most cases, these were in favor of STEM students, who showed more negative and hostile attitudes towards the LGBTIQ+ collective. Among other aspects, STEM students believed more than their Social and Legal Sciences counterparts that being male or female depends on external genitalia, that all adults have to identify as male or female, and that the celebration of Gay Pride is a ridiculous claim. In view of these results, we conclude the need to design training actions to deconstruct the stereotypical beliefs of university students about gender minorities. In addition, it is necessary for Higher Education institutions to integrate contents related to affective-sexual education in their curricula in a cross-cutting manner. The implementation of this type of measures will favor the gender culture of university students and, in this way, will advance towards the full integration of the LGBTIQ+ collective in society.
ReferencesAguirre, A., Moliner, L., & Francisco, A. (2021). (2021). “Can anybody help me?” High school teachers’ experiences on LGBTphobia perception, teaching intervention and training on affective and sexual diversity. Journal of Homosexuality, 68(14), 2430-2450. https://doi.org/10.1080/00918369.2020.1804265
Ardman, E., Anh, V. M., Thuy, D. T. D., & Giang, L. M. (2021). Attitudes and knowledge of medical students in Hanoi regarding lesbian and gay people. Journal of Homosexuality, 68(14), 2359-2374.
Arslantas, I., Gokdemir, O., Dagbagli, G., Mustan, K., & Guidal, D. (2022). Homophobia among medical faculty members. The Journal of Continuing Education in the Health Professions, 42(4), 131-133.
Bayrakdar, S., & King, A. (2023). LGBT discrimination, harassment and violence in Germany, Portugal and the UK: A quantitative comparative approach. Current Sociology, 71(1), 152-172. https://doi.org/10.1177/00113921211039271
De Witte, K., Iterbeke, K., Holz, O. (2019). Teachers’ and pupils’ perspectives on homosexuality: A comparative analysis across European countries. International Sociology, 34(4), 471-519. https://doi.org/10.1177/0268580919854295
Dueñas, J. M., Racionero-Plaza, S., Melgar, P., & Sanvicén-Torné, P. (2021). Identifying violence against the LGTBI+ community in Catalan universities. Life Sciences, Society and Policy, 17, 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40504-021-00112-y
Ferfolja, T., Asquith, N., Hanckel, B., & Brady, B. (2020). In/visibility on campus? Gender and sexuality diversity in tertiary institutions. Higher Education, 80, 933-947. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-020-00526-1
Gallardo-Nieto, E. M., Gómez, A., Gairal-Casadó, R., & Ramis-Salas, M. M. (2021). Sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression-based violence in Catalan universities: qualitative findings from university students and staff. Archives of Public Health, 79, 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13690-021-00532-4
Gato, J., Fontaine, A. M., & Leme, V. B. R. (2014). Validação e adaptação transcultural da escala multidimensional de atitudes face a lésbicas e a gays. Psicologia Reflexão e Crítica, 27(2), 257-271. https://doi.org/10.1590/1678-7153.201427206
López-Sáez, M. A., Angulo-Brunet, A., Platero, R. L., & Lecuona, O. (2022). The adaptation and validation of the trans attitudes and beliefs scale to the Spanish context. International Journal of Environmental Reserach and Public Health, 19(7), 1-18. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19074374
Rodríguez, L. M. (2017). Attitudes to sexual diversity among Mexican Social Work students: the Monterrey context. Cuadernos de Trabajo Social, 30(2), 417-433. http://dx.doi.org/10.5209/CUTS.52131
Silver, B. R., & Krietzberg, L. (2023). Compartmentalizing communities or creating continuity: how students navigate LGBQ+ identity within and beyond college. Sociological Focus. https://doi.org/10.1080/00380237.2022.2164389
Török, Z., Csekő, C., Rakovics, M., & Szel, Z. (2022). Are medical students more prejudiced? Comparison of university students’ attitudes towards sexual minorities by faculties and cultural background: A study from hungary. Journal of Homosexuality. https://doi.org/10.1080/00918369.2022.2030615
33. Gender and Education
Paper
Give a Woman an Opportunity and She will Run With it: Telling Women’s Stories of Second Chance Opportunity in AET
Doria Daniels
Stellenbosch University, South Africa
Presenting Author: Daniels, Doria
According to UNESCO (2013), two thirds of the 781 million adults who cannot read or write, are women. Post-school challenges such as women’s illiteracy due to interrupted schooling or lack of access to formal education systems remains a persistent issue in Africa, and in South Africa. South Africa has a history in which its discriminatory laws created environments that were not education friendly for the black races, and complicated their access to basic education. Pre 1994 black children’s education was not government mandated. Many rural black children grew up illiterate because in rural areas government’s investment in education through providing facilities such as building schools, was almost non-existent. The 2001 census showed that more than 14 million adults never completed their general education (Statistics South Africa, 2003; Rule 2006), while other sources (Aichinson, 2005; Baatjes, 2003; Statistics South Africa, 2003) state that more than 4.5 million of these adults never attended school in their lifetime. When South Africa’s government of national unity came into power in 1994 Adult basic education became part of the educational discourse. Section 29(1(a)) of the South African constitution defends every citizen’s right to a basic education (Constitution, 1994), and adult basic education became part of the educational debate, as is evidenced by the Adult Basic Education and Training (2001) policy document, the White Paper of 1995, the National Education Policy Act of 1996 and the South African Qualifications Act of 1995. The transformation of adult basic education was conceptualised with the illiterate adult in mind, which requires a social justice orientated theoretical positioning that links education to political accountability by the state. It would seem that the state’s redistributive response to adult basic education’s past marginalisation was to incorporate AET in the National Qualifications Framework (NQF), as a system parallel to basic education for children (DOE, 2000; DHET 2013). AET’s formalisation for the first time created the possibility for adult basic education students to experience educational continuity beyond the General Education and Training band.
Since South Africa became a constitutional democracy in 1994, its educational department has focussed on educational transformation and access for the country’s educationally marginalised. However, research has mostly concentrated on formal educational access and inclusion of South Africa’s children. Limited educational research has been undertaken on the inclusion of marginalised adult learners, and the challenges embedded in their journeys to become literate. Though the majority of illiterate adults are black, it cannot be assumed that second chance black learners are a homogenous group with a shared educational history. In this presentation I engaged with second chance opportunity for three women students who did not complete their basic education. I sought to develop an explanation of the ways in which they navigated adult education and training in search of a general education and training certificate (GETC) in order to establish viable productive lives. Part of this account is an exploration of the networks within AET that made it possible for these adults to achieve educational success.
Methodology, Methods, Research Instruments or Sources UsedThe study’s contexts are two public adult learning centres (PALCs) where the three women were enrolled as adult learners. By studying the women within the context of the PALCs I was able to enhance my understanding of the social practices that these adults engage with, to gain a basic education, and how these practices were being facilitated by strategic role players. Fataar (2008) notes that it is such observations that helps researchers understand what people become when they inhabit these spaces, as well as how individuals use social spaces and what they produce out of such spaces. The argument that I put forth, is that adult learners’ perceptions, knowledge and understandings are fashioned and moulded by the social and cultural environments that they are part of. My exploration of the three women’s life worlds allowed me to reflect on how advantage and disadvantage play out in their lives, and how such experiences influenced their childhood educational journeys then, and the journeys that they are now on, now.
In an overwhelmingly patriarchal South African society, the stories that are told about women are often stripped of their agency. As a feminist researcher I am mindful of how experiences of inequality, discrimination, and marginalisation shape women’s experience in a patriarchal society. For this narrative inquiry I worked within a social constructivist paradigm (Mertens 2014; Creswell 2003) in my exploration of Karlien, Gabieba and Blanche’s educational journeys as vulnerable second chance learners,. These middle-aged women were enrolled for a General Education and Training certificate (GETC) in Adult Education and Training. I conducted semi-structured interviews with the women and their adult learning facilitators and engaged in non-participant observation at the PALC sites. My analysis of the data was informed by Intersectionality theory as I engage with race, class and gender as forms of oppression and discrimination that can overlap and intersect with one another (Crenshaw, 1989) when making sense of their childhood experiences with education as coloured girls growing up during apartheid. I bring into critical focus the ways in which the energies within AET contexts and their personal worlds come together to advance their quest for an education. The data was collected through semi-structured one-on-one interviews (Patton 2002) with the women, two educators and the PALC manager/educator. The primary question guiding this research was, “What are the stories of educational agency in the women’s stories about gaining the General Education and Training certificate?
Conclusions, Expected Outcomes or FindingsMy findings show that the socio-economic circumstances and migration patterns of the participants’ childhood home contexts served as debilitating factors in their experiences of education. Their struggles in school were not always the result of them being intellectually incapable; nor were they disinterested in their education; rather it was that their families’ socio-economic circumstances and their social class placed barriers in their way. The situational challenges of unemployment and poverty, and the families’ uncertain housing arrangements were major threats to their children’s education. Cultural and social capital accumulation under such circumstances was difficult because these students did not stay in one school long enough to get to know the context and establish social networks.
As adult learners they were exercising their second chance opportunity to gain the GET certificate. In my analysis of their experiences within adult education, I found that there were many dispositional constraints that stem from disempowering childhood experiences. However, whereas formal schooling misrecognised their societal challenges, the AET social space embraced it. My experiences of the PALCs were of spaces that were supportive and emancipatory. The women experienced the spaces as non-threatening and their educators as supportive and encouraging them to complete their basic education. My findings confirm the agentic role of the PALC as represented by the AET culture, the facilitator actions and the pedagogical engagements. In this educational space, the community cultural wealth (Yosso 2005) that adult students had accumulated in their lives were mined and up valued through emancipatory pedagogies and actions by the educators. In AET they were inducted into a culture that promoted self-efficacy. In this type of environment the three adult students experienced success and found their educational purpose in life.
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