Women As Learners : The Significance of Gender in Adult Learning

Shifting standards and roles for women--combined with many economic and social factors--have increased the number of women who participate in adult learning activities. Yet most literature on adult learning barely touches on the subject of women's learning. This limited understanding of how women learn is too often reflected in the practice of adult education. Here, at last, is a volume that explores and analyzes learning as a distinctive experience for women. The authors are all established adult education professionals and recognized authorities on women as adult learners. Together, they examine and compare the importance of such factors as sense of identity, self-esteem, social world, and power in what and how women learn. Drawing from a comprehensive review of research and scholarship, as well as from personal stories, Women as Learners reveals the numerous ways in which women experience the learning process. It explains, for example, how women often become personally connected to the object and process of learning. The authors explore these different experiences to show education and training professionals how they can better design and conduct programs for women. They also offer specific recommendations to improve all types of formal and informal adult educational programs, including literacy education, counseling and support groups, workplace training, and professional development activities. Concise yet comprehensive, this long-awaited book provides the most current principles for practice.