Participation in formal adult education and family life - a gendered story

: Pöyliö Heta, McMullin Patricia

Publisher: Turun yliopisto

: Turku

: 2023

: INVEST Working Papers

: 68

: 2737-0534

DOI: https://doi.org/10.31235/osf.io/5p8u2

: https://doi.org/10.31235/osf.io/5p8u2

Previous literature on adult education has focused on various aspects of social inequalities, and though many acknowledge the important role of gender, the mechanisms influencing gender differences in participation are rarely to the fore. Specifically, women report family responsibilities the main reason not to enrol in adult education (AE). This paper examines how family life influences enrolment in formal AE differently between men and women in two societies with high enrolment rates; Finland and Great Britain. Data from Finnish registers and Understanding Society is used to derive empirical evidence on the multidimensional work-family-education nexus. The results demonstrate clearly that family responsibilities restrict women from participating in formal adult education to a higher extent than men in Great Britain, but the picture is less gendered in Finland. Further, while Finnish society enables individuals who traditionally have fewer resources to attend formal AE (single parents, larger families), adult education in Britain is mainly taken up by individuals without children or by those in stable family situations. The results indicate the importance of institutional differences in providing equal access to further educational qualifications.