KEYNOTE ADDRESS: DR. BERIT ÅS

Berit Ås is a professor and social psychologist associated with the University of Oslo, Norway. She has and extensive background in research, women's issues and political activity, serving either as member of the Norwegian parliament or as alternate member for the last ten years. Dr. Ås spent some months as a visiting professor in Halifax last year and her impact has been profound.

TITLE: BEYOND PROMISES:
A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE ON ADULT EDUCATION FOR WOMEN

The world is in need of sane knowledge. Economic independence is not a sufficient goal to solve the distress in which our society finds itself. Women must take responsibility for influencing the direction of our society. Education must help us to evaluate, criticize and propose new solutions.

In every part of the world, women have fewer learning opportunities than men and the gap between the options available to men, and the options available to women, increases. In times of hardship, women suffer disproportionately. Yet studies done in the early 1970's have shown a negative relationship between a nation's economic and social development and the social, economic and psychological development of its women. Equality of opportunity does not increase in good times.

Four examples of the "downward pull" which oppresses women:

  1. in male dominated institutions (including politics, the economy, and social, legal and educational services) women are given the fewest possible positions of power and influence;

  2. women must be twice as good as men to succeed in male dominated institutions;

  3. liberal laws proposed by men are destructive in the end - for example, the gap between men's salaries and women's salaries has actually increased since the introduction of equal pay laws in the United States;

  4. when equal rights are given to groups with different resources, the most powerful groups benefit the most.

Dr. Ås demonstrated the "downward pull" with reference both to her own experience and to her study (published in Convergence, 1975). In her study, Dr. Ås compared women who have never taken part in adult education with women who are or have been involved in adult education programs. She found that those who had been involved in adult education had already much more education and more family support. When asked how long they had waited before they were able to attend adult education, 32% had waited 10 years or more and an additional 17% had waited 5-9 years: Those who had dropped out of adult education programs did so because of economic, day care or health problems, or because the programs they needed were not offered or were offered at impossible times. Finally, 83% of the adult learners had started at a level below where they had left off in previous formal education. The intervening years of isolation in the home had severely eroded both these women's skills and confidence.

Women are betrayed by educational institutions. When we are accused of lacking motivation for adult education, we are the victims taking the blame for our situation. We can only redress this situation with courage and self reliance. We need more sane knowledge in order to root out discrimination and build equality, particularly between men and women.


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