Hidden gender differences in formal and non-formal adult education

Abstract

One of the most often repeated goals in modern society is making education available to all on equal terms, regardless of social origin, culture or individual characteristics such as age, gender or the socio-economic status of an individual. However, in relation to gender inequality within learning environments, in the Czech Republic the traditional roles of men and women are still deeply inscribed. The results of the present study are primarily based on an Adult Education Survey which provides high quality data on the participation rates of the Czech population in formal and non-formal adult learning and education (ALE). Despite equal gender participation rates in ALE, the presented findings show that men participate more in job-related training and job-related purposes, while women manage domestic tasks, a situation which reflects the predominance of women in part-time employment, earning a lower monthly income and obtaining less work-related learning. This socio-economic profile influences not only women's income but also affects their access to education and becomes the main barrier in the concrete form of family-related responsibilities and costs. Moreover, for women more personal-related learning has been shown to predominate as opposed to job-related education.