The functionally illiterate woman, therefore, is doubly disenfranchised as a member of society. As a woman, she is systematically barred from participating in society on an equal basis with men. As a functionally illiterate person, she cannot make effective use of societal communication systems and is further barred from public participation in society. For example, a functionally illiterate woman would have difficulty participating in community decision-making, utilizing public information about health care, and being a critical consumer.

Because of the complexity of the issues involved, those who strive to eliminate functional illiteracy from among the female population must do battle against both the causes of functional illiteracy and of women's oppression in society. Progressive workers in the field of literacy education, in addition to teaching literacy skills to the disenfranchised, must also confront, ameliorate, and try to change prevailing structures, conditions, ideologies and practices that produce poverty and functional illiteracy. They must address the issues of economic exploitation of workers and of sexism, racism and ethnocentrism, to name but a few of the oppressive elements of the social system that contribute to the maintenance of functional illiteracy.

The balance of this chapter will focus on the extent of functional illiteracy among women in Canada and the participation of under-educated women in formal education programs. The information will be discussed in relation to the labour market context of working women in Canada. The reader should bear in mind that, while the various data are discussed separately, the combined effect supports the perspective that functional illiteracy is a problem created and maintained by interactions among the social, political, economic, cultural and educational systems.

2.3. EXTENT OF FUNCTIONAL ILLITERACY WITHIN THE FEMALE ADULT POPULATION

2.3.1. The Total Adult Population

In Canada, 3,73l,305 adults of age l5 and older have completed less than nine years of schooling within a formal educational system. This figure comprises 20.l percent of the total adult population in Canada (see Table 2-1; all tables begin on page 18).

2.3.2. The Total Adult Population That Does Not Attend School

The number of adults in Canada not attending school is 15,36l,855. Of these, 3,64l,315 have less than nine years of formal education. This number is 23.7 percent of the out-of-school adult population and is an indicator of the extent of functional illiteracy within Canada (see Table 2-2).