Part III: Conclusion

Abstract

It is clear from the chapters in this section that women-only or women-centred sites of learning are important in developing safe spaces where women can resist the gendered , classed, racialised and ageist constructions of their identities. This includes, for example, vocational learning which recognises and values women’s multiple experiences; networks of intimacy which enable educational and career choice s to be made; feminist organisations; and women’s social spaces. Although much of the policy and practice concerned with vocational education and training fails to recognise the value of different types of skills for the economy, including the key transferable skills that are developed by women’s roles in the home, as Cable and Goodliff have shown, some vocational learning can enable women to develop professional identities which increase confidence in the workplace and beyond, and opens possibilities for women to redefine what ‘professionalism ’ means.