Challenges and Negotiations for Women in Higher Education

CONCEPTUALISING CHALLENGES AND NEGOTIATIONS FOR WOMEN IN HIGHER EDUCATION 1 2 3 Pamela Cotterill , Sue Jackson and Gayle Letherby 1 2 3 Staffordshire University; Birkeck, University of London; University of Plymouth INTRODUCTION Despite the historical tradition of academia as a male space (Evans, 1995; Abbott et al, 2005; Stanley, 1997; Letherby, 2003) it is possible to argue that the expansion of higher education in the 1980s and 1990s benefited women more than it did men. By 1995 there were two and a half times more women in the academy than in 1970/1 (Abbott et al 2005), and in the decade to follow the numbers of women undergraduate students had overtaken men with a substantial minority of these being older, non-standard entrants. Furthermore, as Paula J Caplan (1997: 3) argues: Visions of the academic life draw us women toward it, picturing an intellectual community whose members search with passion and integrity for Truth and Knowledge. We imagine that in academia we shall find freedom from bias, freedom from worldly struggles of power and wealth, freedom to choose what to study and what to say, and an environment characterized by tolerance and openness, where everyone's energy is focused on the open exploration of ideas. However, whilst this may be the vision for some women, it is important not to view this widening of female participation in higher education through 'rose tinted glasses'.

Speaks directly to and from the experiences of women teaching and learning in higher education Makes an important contribution to debates about social inclusion and life-long learning Valuable resource for anyone interested in the gendered nature of higher education Makes an important contribution to debates about the gendered workplace

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There is much ambivalence in women's experience of the academy as teachers and students. Although today many more women follow academic careers than in the past, they do not find the welcome that they had hoped for and expected. Additionally, women students find that whilst they can now enter through the doors of universities, academic space remains embedded in structures and cultures of gender and social class.

This book is a clear and accessible exploration of lifelong learning and educational opportunities for women in higher education. It has been developed from work undertaken by members of the Women in Higher Education Network with chapters organised in three thematic sections:

• Ambivalent Positions in the Academy

• Process and Pedagogy at Work

• Career Identity Home

Challenges and Negotiations for Women in Higher Education is a major text in lifelong learning and educational opportunities for women in higher education. It will be a valuable resource to anyone interested in gender, research, process and practice in lifelong learning and higher education. Additionally, most women whether or not they are part of the academy or recognise themselves as lifelong learners will associate with many of the issues raised in this book.

Contenu
Ambivalent Positions in the Academy.- Challenging Women in the Male Academy: Think About Draining the Swamp.- Women: Mothers and Others:.- The Gendered Implications of Quality Assurance and Audit: Quality and Equality.- Process and Pedagogy at Work.- From Tangle to Web.- Strange Bedfellows.- Welcome to the Pleasure Dome.- Caring Monsters?.- Career Identity Home.- Distance Learners Juggling Home, Work and Study.- Three Ages of Woman.- Imaging 'Career'.- Women and Work/Life Balance.- Final Comments and Reflections: The Challenges and Negotiations of Lifelong Learning for Women in Higher Education.