January 26, 2008

Literacy and Economic Justice #1: Self-Sufficiency Education for Closing the
Gender Wage Gap

Tom Sticht
International Consultant in Adult Education

Recent studies in the United Kingdom reveal what studies in the United
States have repeatedly indicated: women who are full-time employed earn
considerably less than men. This wage gap relates in part to the
differences in the types of jobs women get, which are typically jobs
involving clerical, caring, or similar jobs. These are lower paying jobs
than the jobs men typically fill, such as the construction trades and
others.

While many women are clearly working in jobs for which they are over
qualified, many others are undereducated with regard to their basic skills
of literacy and numeracy and can only qualify for low-paying work.  There
is clearly an urgent need for undereducated women to receive solid basic
skills education in the context of training for well paying jobs and areas
of entrepreneurship. Of particular concern is the need for education and
training of many poorly skilled women who are single and managing families
on their own.

For several years I worked on and off with Wider Opportunities for Women
(WOW-http://www.wowonline.org) on adult literacy projects that followed
Functional Context Education (FCE) principles and
integrated/embedded/contextualized basic skills education (language,
literacy, numeracy) with job skills training for non-traditional,
well-paying jobs for women, and business skills training. The last project
that I worked on with WOW was its Six strategies for Family Economic
Self-Sufficiency project.

Here is a little background about the Six Strategies project, FCE, and
Microenterprise Training and Development. Following are several paragraphs
about the project that are taken from information available online at
http://www.SixStrategies.org/sixstrategies/sixstrategies.cfm

Six Strategies for Family Economic Self-Sufficiency—Overview

For many families, especially those moving from welfare to work,
self-sufficiency cannot be achieved in a single step. It requires
strategies that create ladders out of poverty—strategies that provide the
assistance, guidance and time needed for families to become
self-sufficient. Recognizing this, Wider Opportunities for Women promotes
Six Strategies for Self-Sufficiency:

*	The Self-Sufficiency Standard
*	Targeting Higher-Wage Employment
*	Nontraditional Employment for Women
*	Functional Context Education
*	Microenterprise Training and Development
*	Individual Development Accounts

Why the Six Strategies?

*	Because women currently earn less for every dollar men earn.
*	Because most of all minimum wage workers are women.
*	Because most welfare recipients leaving the rolls for work earn very low
wages.
*	Because nearly one in three American households possesses zero or negative
assets.

These realities demonstrate the critical need for strategies that will help
families move out of poverty and into lasting economic security. The Six
Strategies are tools for individuals, community-based organizations, and
state- and local-level policymakers to use to truly help low-income
families move out of poverty and achieve long-term economic stability and
independence.

In today's policy environment—in which welfare and workforce legislation
have devolved power to states and localities—new and effective strategies
are urgently needed to aid low-income people:

Functional Context Education: What it is and why it works

Functional Context Education (FCE) is an instructional strategy that
integrates the teaching of literacy skills and job content to move learners
more successfully and quickly toward their educational and employment goals.
In the United Kingdom such programs are often referred to as embedded basic
skills programs. Programs that use the FCE or embedded model are more
effective than traditional programs that teach basic skills and job skills
in sequence because this innovative approach teaches literacy and basic
skills in the context in which the learner will use them. Clients see
clearly the role literacy skills play in moving them toward their goals.
This strategy promotes better retention, encourages lifelong learning and
supports the intergenerational transfer of knowledge.

<sum> For adults who have already experienced school failure, enrollment in
programs that use traditional approaches to teaching often reproduce that
failure. Functional context education programs address this problem by
using content related to adult goals to teach basic skills.

*	Basic education and technical training must be relevant to the skills and
education required by jobs if low-income persons are going to succeed in
becoming economically self-sufficient. In addition, most adults do not have
time to spend years in basic education programs learning skills that may
seem unrelated to their educational and economic goals.

*	Given welfare time limits and restrictions on education and training, it
is more important than ever that individuals master basic and job-specific
skills as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Microenterprise Training and Development: What it is and Why it Works

Microenterprise development is an income-generating strategy that helps
low-income people start or expand very small businesses. Generally, the
business is owned and operated by one person or family, has fewer than five
employees and can start up with a loan of less than $25,000. Microenterprise
is an attractive option for low-income women who may have lacked opportunity
but who are highly motivated and have skills in a particular craft or
service. The lack of quality employment options—especially for low-income,
low-skilled women—makes microenterprise development a critical strategy for
moving families out of poverty.

<sum> Low-income women entrepreneurs, especially those living in rural or
inner-city communities isolated from the economic mainstream, often lack
the contacts and networks needed for business success.

*	Peer networks (such as lending circles and program alumnae groups) help
women learn to earn from each other, build self-esteem and organize around
policy advocacy.

*	Linkages between microentrepreneurs and more established women business
owners provide program participants with role models, facilitate an ongoing
transfer of skills, and expand networks.

As a step toward removing the gender wage gap, adult basic skills and
vocational/job training educators need to work together with business,
industry and those desiring microenterprise or entrepreneurship education
to develop effective programs that integrate basic skills with vocational
skills education to permit undereducated women to enter into 
non-traditional, well-paying jobs in the most expeditious manner.

Thomas G. Sticht
International Consultant in Adult Education
2062 Valley View Blvd.
El Cajon, Ca 92019-2059
Tel/fax: (619) 444-9133
Email: tsticht at aznet.net