Aspirations, austerity and agency: adult women learners in the English FE sector and the capacity to aspire in an austerity context

ABSTRACT Policy changes and austerity funding cuts have led to a sharp decline in adult women learners’ participation in the English FE sector. This thesis aimed to understand why, in this harsh climate, women return to FE and what they gain from doing so. Located within an intersectional feminist inquiry, the in-depth narrative interviews with 21 women learners on a range of VET programmes, provides a rich understanding of their aspirations and how these are shaped by their biographies. Data Analysis draws on concepts such as Appadurai’s ‘capacity to aspire’ (2004) and Ray’s ‘aspirations window’ (2006), alongside feminist economic theories on the gendered constraints on choice and agency to illustrate the complex and dynamic nature of women learners’ aspirations. This thesis makes three key contributions, firstly, it offers a contemporary perspective on women learners’ experiences in the FE sector. Secondly, the feminist economics lens brings into sharp relief how in the context of austerity, instrumental policy goals fail to take account of the complex intersectional disadvantages that women learners face in their everyday lives, and how they navigate the responsibilities of care and work so that they can pursue their own interests. Finally, it offers crucial insights into the complex and dynamic nature of educational aspirations.