Identity and Education

Why do mature women return to education? On the face of it, the answer would seem obvious - to gain qualifications which they had not acquired in their earlier learning. However, their return to learning seems to be much more than just about paper qualifications. This book describes the experiences of a number of mature women students who return to learning some time after their compulsory schooling. The book looks at the links which the women make between their life stories and their return to education. In particular, it focuses upon a number of women who talk of painful experiences either past or current in their lives - experiences such as manipulative and controlling parents, psychological, physical and sexual abuse, an alcoholic parent, the death of a child or other family member and other difficult life events. These experiences have had a considerable and often ongoing effect on the women's lives and their return to education seems to be much more than just about paper qualifications. For example, the women talked of confidence, status, proving ability, self respect and independence, and what emerged very clearly from their stories was the desire to have some power and control over the way in which their identity was defined. The book illustrates the links between the women's return to education, their past, often very painful experiences, and identity. Sometimes the women make very clear connections, but at other times the connections are less explicit, though nevertheless powerful.