Distractions’: cultural influences, inclusion, and learning in later life; stories of women’s lives

• Authors: Watts Jane

Title variants

PL

„Zakłócenia”: wpływy kulturowe, integracja i uczenie się w późnej dorosłości. Historie życia kobiet

• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

EN

Social gerontologists have paid attention to inclusion and diversity, but only rarely has that lens been applied within education. This is surprising as lifelong learning practice has a long tradition of addressing inequalities and confronting exclusion. Diversity projects have often not included ageing. This paper considers the impact of women’s, and particularly lesbian, lives in the UK in the aftermath of recent changes to retirement and state pension ages and considers lessons for educators. In the field of education and ageing, we sometimes write as though women’s stories are unimportant. Recent projects and research about older women are complemented by analysis of literature in gerontology and education. Examples of later life learning are considered in the light of inclusion and diversity and show how life-story exemplifies the culture of women’s learning. The importance of biography in feminism can be applied to work on the theme of later life ‘transitions’. These transition points are interpreted differently by women and men and used to create a narrative of life-course, important in determining later life learning. Evidence is taken from small scale research with a peer group of lesbians, considering the impact of working longer. The paper seeks conclusions to inform educational practice in supporting women into the new expectations of later life learning, working, earning and living in our multicultural and ageing society.

PL

Gerontolodzy społeczni zwracają przede wszystkim uwagę na włączanie i różnorodność osób starszych, ale rzadko łączą to z edukacją. Jest to zaskakujące, gdyż praktyka uczenia się przez całe życie ma długą tradycję w kontekście znoszenia nierówności i konfrontacji z wykluczeniem. Projekty, które dotyczyły nierówności, rzadko obejmowały osoby starsze. Niniejszy artykuł uwzględnia wpływ kobiet, a szczególnie lesbijek mieszkających w Wielkiej Brytanii, na zachodzące w ostatnim czasie zmiany dotyczące emerytury oraz ma na uwadze pewne rozważania dla edukatorów. Analizując obszar edukacji i starzenia się, często odnosi się wrażenie, że historie kobiet są niezauważalne. Ostatnie projekty i badania dotyczące starszych kobiet uzupełniane są analizą literatury z dziedziny gerontologii i edukacji. W świetle włączania i różnorodności, historie życia kobiet są ważnymi przykładami uczenia się w późnej dorosłości. Ważność biografii w feminizmie można wykorzystać także w kontekście rozważań nad zmianami, „przejściami” widocznymi w późnej dorosłości. Te punkty przejścia i zmiany są inaczej interpretowane przez kobiety, a inaczej przez mężczyzn. Opowiadając o swoim życiu, osoby starsze mogą wskazać na istotne aspekty, pomocne dla uczenia się w późnej dorosłości. Dowody potwierdzające powyższe stwierdzenie, przedstawione w niniejszym artykule, pochodzą z badań przeprowadzonych na małej próbie badawczej kobiet, lesbijek. W artykule przedstawiono wnioski dotyczące praktyki edukacyjnej i wspierania kobiet w obliczu nowych oczekiwań wobec uczenia się w późnej dorosłości, pracy, zarobkowania oraz w kontekście wielokulturowego i starzejącego się społeczeństwa.

Keywords

EN

lifelong learning; women/lesbians and ageing; diversity; community education; story

PL

całożyciowe uczenie się; kobiety/lesbijki; starzenie się; różnorodność; uczenie się społeczności; historia życia

• Publisher: Zielona Góra University Press
• Journal: Dyskursy Młodych Andragogów / Adult Education Discourses
• Year: 2017
• Volume: 18
• Pages: 233-244

Dates

published

2017

Contributors

author

Watts Jane

• self-employed researcher, evaluator and facilitator. Senior Associate at the Learning and Work Institute UK (formerly NIACE) and a member of the Association for Education and Ageing, England

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Identifiers

ISSN

2084-2740