Artefact # 4: MDDE 651: Gender Issues in Distance Education

Course summary:

MDDE 651: Topics covered in this course that draw awareness to gender and feminist principles in distance education include access to education in both developed and developing nations, learning design and support, technology access and support, and curriculum issues. In the literature on gender in distance education, the majority considers only women and only a small minority examines issues from the perspective of both women and men. Therefore, although ‘‘gender” and ‘‘women” are not synonymous, the course focuses on women as students and practitioners, and the design of programs of study to meet their particular needs.

Artefact Summary:

This artefact was chosen as I feel it addresses real issues that exist in the professional realm of not only educators, but all professionals. Gender issues arise, and are apparent in most fields. While I am fortunate enough to work in two professional settings (educator and marketer), I have seen firsthand how much harder some genders need to work in some settings. In this artefact the issue that I rose was gender inequalities in professional women in the workplace and while returning or obtaining a post secondary education. This is particularly important to me as it brought up issues, at the time, I didn`t realize existed.

Our first assignment in MDDE 651 had us recall knowledge we had gained in previous units, we were to declare what constitutes the fundamental issues and challenges facing women in distance education, whether they be learners, teachers or administrators (5.4). We were then to present our thoughts on the issues, all while reflecting on our personal backgrounds (1.4).

I focused on socio-economical issues that arise when women attempt to attain both a post-secondary education and a flourishing career. I researched financial statistics, and concluded that today`s economy is progressing families (and women) need to focus on one priority at a time; family or career (1.2).

This assignment discussed the financial woes of women returning to post-secondary institutions, and implied traditional education options were limited. Juggling a full-time career, family (with children) and education are seemingly impossible – I had a tough enough time with a puppy. (2.1). I felt men were less responsible (in most cases) to provide care for infants, and more responsible to be the breadwinner.  I presented facts that most career driven women are forced to put either their family or career on hold while actively pursuing the other. My results concluded generally speaking career driven women (holding degrees) typically had children at later stages than other women (5.8).

Reflection:

In my readings I came across something that jumped out and caught my attention. That papers reporting a significant difference in performance between men and women are more likely to get published than those that report no significant difference. Rosenthal (1979) called this the “file drawer problem” in which studies that report no differences find themselves in the filing cabinets of the authors (2.2).  I wonder how many other fields this happens in (5.1)? This also makes me think how many studies there have been that have reported no difference. I feel these studies would be just as important as the ones that report no differences (1.10). The studies reporting no differences could be used in evaluating the progress of women, and perhaps where the difficulties lie (1.5). Perhaps the problem isn’t so much time and cultural values – perhaps the problem is linked to financial woes. I would really like to compare and contrast these findings, illustrate where the gender differences are and where the similarities lie (5.5).

This assignment had me researching theories, principles, societal norms and statistics; all my findings truly back up what I have experienced as a career driven women. I often find myself not wanting to have kids in fears of missing time at work; I fear the financial obligation of children would detract from my leisure travel goals; I worry I might be getting too old to successfully have children of my own. The societal pressures are contradictory; women are encouraged to pursue successful careers as there was no glass ceiling, yet women are considered unwomanly and an anomaly if they choose to not have families. Having large families no longer seems feasible. I have recently learnt that women in the office on average are spending $1300 a month per child for daycare fees (5.3)!

While this assignment doesn`t necessarily directly address technology or distance education issues, it addresses a problem that can be solved by distance education.  Distance education is a growing field presenting not only opportunities for adult women to attain their educational goals, but also to achieve careers in fields that didn`t exist before (5.6).

Application:

I would like to say that moving forward I would take these problems and try to address them head on, but I`m not sure how to accomplish that (1.1). I would love to offer a solution that would lower costs of having families, that would allow women to attain financial freedom, families and careers, however, the reality is the solution doesn`t exist yet. With the evolution of technology and it`s integration into the education sector, professions will adapt as well. Today, I see more organizations and government agencies bending the societal norms and providing benefits for women (and men) to achieve their familial and professional goals.