Historically, in the UK and other European countries, the figures of the learner and the scholar have been associated with being care-free (i.e. with having no primary responsibility for dependents). These days, universities have considerably diversified, both in terms of their workforce and of their student population. Students with caring responsibilities now represent a significant presence in academia. According to the Student Income and Expenditure Survey, 8% of full-time students and 36% of part-time students who are English-domiciled are parents (Johnson et al., 2009). The National Union for Students established that, altogether, a third of Further Education and Higher Education students in England and Wales care for a dependent (NUS, 2009). Continue reading “Care, the elephant in the (class)room?”
Report on the Conference: Care Work in Focus: The Changing Nature of Care Work in Sectors
The conference, held on 19th July at Lancaster University (9.00-6.00) was attended by over 54 people, 16 speakers and 38 paying delegates. It was sponsored by the Centre for Gender & Women’s Studies, the Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences and the Department of Organisation, Work and Technology at Lancaster University as well as the Gender & Education Association. Continue reading “Report on the Conference: Care Work in Focus: The Changing Nature of Care Work in Sectors”