The participation of all women in the school

Abstract

Purpose: The “other women”, women without academic degree whose voices have been traditionally silenced, are leading processes of personal transformation when they have the chance to participate in the educative centres. Through the classes, doing volunteering services, taking part in the decision-making bodies or being involved in associations, the “other women” are promoting their own learning and breaking with cultural and gender stereotypes. Furthermore, the inclusion of the “other women” voices in the participatory spaces from which they have been excluded enables to answer claims and demands which improve the management of the educative centres and the overcoming of gender inequalities.

Design/methodology/approach: From the communicative methodology approach, the paper is constructed based on an in-depth review of scientific publications on dialogic feminism and the analysis of a case study carried out in the Association Heura of the Adult School La Verneda-Sant Martí (Barcelona), an association created and managed by adult women in basic education processes. Heura’s mission is the educational and social promotion of women who, because their lack of basic degrees, are in risk of being excluded from the social participation spheres.

Findings and Originality/value: Results show how the inclusion of the different voices of the “other women” is key to improve the quality of education, because they enlarge and diversify the existing resources, and for the democratization of the participation and representative channels of the educative centres, which have an effect on improving the management of the centres. On the other hand, it is shown how “other women” are including their claims in the agenda, restructuring the social and educative services and fostering the transformation of their contexts.

Originality/value: The present paper analyses the educative participation carried out by the “other women” in centres, showing how their inclusion produces impact in three spheres: personal, centres and society.