The article by Else-Quest and Grabe (2012) is an interesting one that discusses gender equity and indicators of gender equity; the authors push for the use of gender equity measures to help understand women's well-being through these measures' influence on power and empowerment. Else-Quest and Grabe do a good job of explaining that the "political…

The author shares a story told to him by a colleague more than thirty years ago. The dean of a midsized American university was explaining the path to tenure to a roomful of newly appointed assistant professors. "We know you boys can all "field"," he declared. "Now we want to see if you can hit." A lot has changed over the intervening decades. If…

"Education and Gendered Citizenship in Pakistan" challenges the uncritical use of the long held dictum of the development discourse that education empowers women. Situated in the post-structuralist feminist position, it argues that in its current state the educational discourse in Pakistan actually disempowers women. Through a systematic…

Critical approaches to HRD do not focus solely on improving organizational performance; instead, they address previously undiscussable issues such as power, politics, class, sexism, racism, and heterosexism. Since critical HRD often seeks to raise problems instead of solve them immediately, it is sometimes criticized for being elitist and detached…

The author expresses surprise and concern about what she perceives as an absence of feminist analysis in current discussions of adult education issues and discusses why talking about social class or women's oppression is no longer popular. Looking at examples of current gender inequalities in the workforce, the writer contends that women's…

This chapter argues that a critical analysis of the interlocking notions of class, race, and gender is needed to enable adult education to respond to growing inequalities.