Locating myself in the research vii -- Student Group 2 -- Courses 3 -- Interview 3 -- Shift from barriers to trauma 6 -- Problem of definition 7 -- Traumatic experiences 8 -- 2 Why do women return to education? 11 -- More personal reasons for returning 16 -- Contradictory or complementary explanations? 24 -- 3 Identity and education 26 -- Social influences on gender identity 28 -- Agency 41 -- A case study-Colette 42 -- 4 Impact of major life events or changes 47 -- 5 Childhood experiences 60 -- 6 Unplanned pregnancies, life course and a return to education 82 -- 7 Mega trauma and the links with education 100 -- What is in education for women? 126
Summary
Why do mature women return to education? This text explores the issue in detail, revealing that there is more to it than just paper qualifications. It describes the experiences of a number of mature women students and demonstrates links between their life stories and their return to education
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages 131-136) and index
