Gender and the curriculum of adult education

In spite of the prominence of women as both students and teachers in adult education, there has to date been little discussion of the significance of the adult curriculum with regard to the reproduction of gender relations. This paper employs the perspectives of four feminist discourses ‐ liberal, radical, Marxist and socialist ‐ as a means of analysing the predominantly reinforcing role of the adult curriculum as it is currently constituted; and assesses the potential for change presented by the strategies associated with these discourses. The liberal discourse has probably been the most effective in terms of its ability to penetrate the adult education institutes and to bring about reforms which are aimed at breaking down sex‐role stereotypes. But among feminists whose aim is the transformation rather than the selective amelioration of gender relations, it is recognized that an approach is called for which can encompass both an analysis of the social and economic roots of women's oppression, and a radical reworking of patriarchal definitions and distributions of knowledge. It is through a combination of the strategies devised by the radical feminist movement, in particular with regard to the development of a women‐centred, women‐only methodology, and the theoretical framework contributed by the Marxist/socialist discourse that the transformation of the adult education curriculum is most likely to be achieved. But it cannot be said that this process has even begun, and it is vital that feminists involved in adult education engage in the detailed discussions which must precede the creation of an effective and liberating programme for women.