Chapter 7
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Illiteracy is one of the many barriers to the full participation of individuals in society. Sexual discrimination is another barrier faced by women. Over 24 percent of adult women not attending school in Canada are functionally illiterate. These women comprise the majority of the total functionally illiterate population (52.1 percent). Yet, as few as 2 percent of them attend educational programs to improve their low level of education, and those who do attend adult basic education programs do not appear to be representative of the population of under-educated women.

Under-educated women need to participate in educational programs if they are to improve their employment income and to have access to non-traditional occupations. These programs, in turn, must be designed to address the learning and related needs of women. It is the conclusion of this report that the ABE programs in CCLOW's survey are not adequately addressing these needs. The major findings of the survey illustrate this conclusion.

7.1. LEARNING AND RELATED NEEDS OF WOMEN

Both providers and women students identified the major needs of women, in order of importance, as educational, psychological and financial. Although lack of childcare services was perceived as a major barrier to regular attendance, it was not mentioned as a major need of women students, suggesting that neither group perceived childcare as an educational need or an education-related issue.

More women students than providers felt that there was a difference between the learning needs of women and men in ABE programs. Women students prefer to learn in a one-to-one student-teacher relationship and in small groups.

7.2. PROGRAM DELIVERY

Most ABE programs are delivered by community colleges and school boards - institutions which are designed to meet the educational needs of young adults and children respectively. These institutions tend to provide most ABE programs within the same kind of time schedule developed for children in school and young adults in colleges, and fail to offer flexible programming geared to the needs of adult women. Many personal and financial responsibilities make it extremely difficult for adult women, especially those with young children, to pursue the upgrading of their education within rigid youth-oriented schedules.

Furthermore, these youth-oriented institutions do not provide adequate supplementary services to help women deal with the personal responsibilities which prevent them from regularly attending the programs. The services least likely to be provided is childcare, yet the lack of childcare is a major barrier to women's regular attendance in the programs. The second least provided service is transportation which, like childcare, is necessary to help women to physically get to the ABE programs.