Gendered Choices and Transitions: Gendered Choices and Transitions: part-time pathways, full-time livespart-time pathways, full-time lives

NON PARTICIPATION

IN HIGHER EDUCATION

‘Gender, life stage and educational decision-making:Researching adult ‘non-participation’ in Higher Education’

Alison Fuller

Paper presented to Women in Lifelong Learning Network Conference 18 May, 2007

Birkbeck, University of London

Structure of Structure of PresentationPresentation

• Background to our researchBackground to our research

• Overview of projectOverview of project

• Population evidence from the LFSPopulation evidence from the LFS

• Vignette illustrating gender, life-Vignette illustrating gender, life-stage and class influences on stage and class influences on decision-making decision-making

• ConclusionsConclusions

Background to our researchBackground to our research

• Policy and research interest in Policy and research interest in widening participation in HEwidening participation in HE

• 50% of 18-30s target50% of 18-30s target

• Persistently uneven patterns of Persistently uneven patterns of participation across the populationparticipation across the population

• ESRC TLRP funded projectsESRC TLRP funded projects

Research Project: AimsResearch Project: Aims

• To examine the extent to which HE is To examine the extent to which HE is conceived as within the bounds of the conceived as within the bounds of the possible for ‘potentially recruitable’ but possible for ‘potentially recruitable’ but ‘non-participating’ adults‘non-participating’ adults

• To explore how attitudes to HE and To explore how attitudes to HE and decisions about participation are decisions about participation are distributed across, embedded and distributed across, embedded and negotiated within inter-generational negotiated within inter-generational ‘networks of intimacy’‘networks of intimacy’

Interview SamplesInterview Samples

• Focus of our entry point sampling strategy:Focus of our entry point sampling strategy:

- Level 3 as highest qualification- Level 3 as highest qualification

- Gender, life stage and other factors incl. - Gender, life stage and other factors incl. generation, SEG, employment status, age, generation, SEG, employment status, age, occupation, geographical locationoccupation, geographical location

• 16 networks, members approx. 5 nominated by entry point further diversify further diversify samplesample

Theoretical OrientationsTheoretical Orientations

• Life-course and stage in context Life-course and stage in context (history, biography and structure)(history, biography and structure)

• Changing relationship between Changing relationship between individual and societyindividual and society

• Inter-relationship between forms of Inter-relationship between forms of social inequalitysocial inequality

• Decision-making as a personal and Decision-making as a personal and collective processcollective process

Evidence from LFSEvidence from LFS

• The Labour Force Survey provides a useful The Labour Force Survey provides a useful dataset for investigating the characteristics dataset for investigating the characteristics of people with different levels of of people with different levels of qualifications and outcomesqualifications and outcomes

• % of economically % of economically active population with population with highest level of qualification in highest level of qualification in Great Britain:Great Britain:

• level 3: 20 %,level 3: 20 %,

• level 4+:level 4+: 30 %30 %

• Below level 3: 50 %Below level 3: 50 %

Highest Qualification by Age and GenderHighest Qualification by Age and Gender - % of age cohort - % of age cohort

Level 4+ Level 3 Trade Level 2appr.

Males25-29 33.5 16.1 4.8 18.330-34 36.0 12.8 5.9 10.135-39 28.7 12.7 7.5 13.640-44 29.5 12.1 11.2 12.745-49 30.5 15.1 10.5 9.750-54 28.5 15.9 15.9 6.055+ 25.6 9.6 16.8 7.6

Females25-29 36.0 17.0 2.0 21.030-34 36.0 12.0 1.0 19.035-39 32.0 10.0 1.0 23.040-44 35.0 7.0 1.0 18.045-49 30.0 8.0 1.0 19.050-54 23.0 10.0 3.0 15.055+ 22.0 7.0 3.0 13.0

HighestHighest Qualification, Additional Qualification, Additional Qualifications, Gender and Occupational Qualifications, Gender and Occupational

StructureStructure

L3 Females are less likely than L3 malesL3 Females are less likely than L3 males to to be in highest status occupations (16% v 24%)be in highest status occupations (16% v 24%)

44% of females with L4+ qualifications are in 44% of females with L4+ qualifications are in ‘top’ occupations, (62% of males) ‘top’ occupations, (62% of males)

At all qualification levels females less likely At all qualification levels females less likely than males to be in top occupations than males to be in top occupations

BUTBUTFemales at all Q levels more likely to be

pursuing additional Qs, gap exists controlling for marital status and for number of children

Vignette Vignette

• A. is female 32, married, 2 children aged A. is female 32, married, 2 children aged 6 (autistic) and 3; father mechanic, 6 (autistic) and 3; father mechanic, mother shop worker, “white British” mother shop worker, “white British” employed part-time HR administrator, employed part-time HR administrator, left school at 16 some grade C GCSEs, left school at 16 some grade C GCSEs, initial post-comp ed. secretarial quals, initial post-comp ed. secretarial quals, now has NVQ3 in office administration now has NVQ3 in office administration and works part-time as an HR and works part-time as an HR administrator in Health Authorityadministrator in Health Authority

Gendered and Classed Early Gendered and Classed Early TransitionsTransitions

• Transition from compulsory to post-Transition from compulsory to post-compulsory education and to workcompulsory education and to work

• parents’ attitude to education and parents’ attitude to education and workwork

• Gender stereotypical area of study Gender stereotypical area of study and occupationand occupation

• ‘‘Normal’ biography (non-decision Normal’ biography (non-decision making?)making?)

Illustrative quotationsIllustrative quotations

• A. Because my parents, they’re very sort of, my A. Because my parents, they’re very sort of, my dad’s a car mechanic and my mum has just dad’s a car mechanic and my mum has just worked in shops and done bar work…they’ve worked in shops and done bar work…they’ve never thought that gaining A levels was… a route never thought that gaining A levels was… a route that was worth doing…I’d talk about some that was worth doing…I’d talk about some careers and they’d say well love you have to be careers and they’d say well love you have to be clever to do thatclever to do that

• Int. So why did you choose to do those subjects Int. So why did you choose to do those subjects [office/secretarial at college] as distinct from [office/secretarial at college] as distinct from anything else though?anything else though?

• A. …I just didn’t really...think I could do a lot else. A. …I just didn’t really...think I could do a lot else. I didn’t want to work in a shop…I liked erm typingI didn’t want to work in a shop…I liked erm typing

Current life-stage: gendered Current life-stage: gendered decisions – constraints on decisions – constraints on ‘choice’‘choice’• Gender stereotypical divisions Gender stereotypical divisions

between A and her partnerbetween A and her partner

• Distribution of caring responsibilities Distribution of caring responsibilities

• Part-time/full-time workingPart-time/full-time working

• Partner has recently finished PT HND Partner has recently finished PT HND in building surveying, now working FT in building surveying, now working FT as surveyoras surveyor

Illustrative quotationsIllustrative quotations

• Int. Do you think you’d like to do it [become Int. Do you think you’d like to do it [become health professional] now?health professional] now?

• A. I’ve looked into things like that but they’re full-A. I’ve looked into things like that but they’re full-time and there’s a limited erm… colleges in the time and there’s a limited erm… colleges in the UK. So you know it would mean moving off to, UK. So you know it would mean moving off to, and I can’t do that now with young children…I’d and I can’t do that now with young children…I’d like to be a dietician…I mean that’s four years of like to be a dietician…I mean that’s four years of full-time study and you …can’t do itfull-time study and you …can’t do it

• ……some [time] this term, we need to determine some [time] this term, we need to determine where, which school [pre-school] he’s [3 yr old] where, which school [pre-school] he’s [3 yr old] going to do it, and how I’m going to juggle. going to do it, and how I’m going to juggle. Taking one to X and one to Y and getting back to Taking one to X and one to Y and getting back to pick them up and work in the middle some.pick them up and work in the middle some.

Anticipating the Future

• A has desire to pursue a career A has desire to pursue a career which will involve higher level studywhich will involve higher level study

• Her expanded ‘horizon for action’ Her expanded ‘horizon for action’ created by development of social created by development of social capital – ‘bridging and bonding’capital – ‘bridging and bonding’

• female colleagues/mothers who’ve female colleagues/mothers who’ve done it and partner’s experiencedone it and partner’s experience

• Anticipated life-stageAnticipated life-stage

Illustrative QuotationIllustrative Quotation

• I meet amazing people in my job now I meet amazing people in my job now and I think wow. I mean we’ve got and I think wow. I mean we’ve got nurses qualifying all the time…that nurses qualifying all the time…that have been like NA’s for years…they have been like NA’s for years…they had children…they do it and I just had children…they do it and I just really like that…you can go off and really like that…you can go off and do things…in lifedo things…in life

Gender, life-stage, class and Gender, life-stage, class and educational and career decision-educational and career decision-

makingmaking• Gendered and classed nature of A’s young Gendered and classed nature of A’s young

adulthood and current life stage – ‘gender specific adulthood and current life stage – ‘gender specific normal biography’normal biography’

• Reflected in gender stereotypical occupations and Reflected in gender stereotypical occupations and caring responsibilitiescaring responsibilities

• Expanding ‘horizon for action’ related to current Expanding ‘horizon for action’ related to current ‘household class’, employment, availability of LLL ‘household class’, employment, availability of LLL and LM opportunities, development of social and LM opportunities, development of social capitalcapital

• Life concept includes an orientation towards Life concept includes an orientation towards higher level study and career which is illustrative higher level study and career which is illustrative of elements of constraint and choiceof elements of constraint and choice

For DiscussionFor Discussion

• Why are females more likely than males Why are females more likely than males to be studying for additional to be studying for additional qualifications? Why L3 hollow for qualifications? Why L3 hollow for females?females?

• How important is it to identify the inter-How important is it to identify the inter-relationships between gender, class and relationships between gender, class and employment?employment?

• What are the implications for LLL policy?What are the implications for LLL policy?

Further InformationFurther Information

• www.education.soton.ac.uk/nphewww.education.soton.ac.uk/nphe

• Project team, details and Working Project team, details and Working Paper seriesPaper series

• Email: a.fuller@soton.ac.ukEmail: a.fuller@soton.ac.uk