Mission Possible: Transforming Women and Building Communities

Abstract

Although women make up over half of the U.S. workforce, they continue to encounter difficulties, including male domination as well as inequities in pay, benefits, and other rewards (Bierema, 2001). Billett (2002) suggests opportunities to advance are subject to workplace practices that reproduce inequities through contested workplace relations (p. 28). Women may not receive appropriate guidance from experienced co-workers or may not be offered the chance to practice tasks that would help them advance. They experience higher rates of unemployment for several reasons, including lack of necessary education and training, as well as leaving and reentering the workforce for personal reasons (Elder & Johnson, as cited in Bierema, 2001). According to Bierema, homemaking and caregiving responsibilities further complicate career patterns for women. Bierema identified several themes in the literature related to how women learn to overcome obstacles in the workplace. Two of these themes are relevant to the study reported here. First, relationships are important to women's psychological and social development as well as their identity and sense of self. The second theme is a particular kind of relationship--mentoring. Potential solutions to the problems women face in the workplace are based on these relationships. For example, Bierema recognized that depending on their developmental level, women have different needs in mentoring relationships. In her study of women's perceptions of themselves and their work, Egan (1996) identified three types of women, each needing a different type of mentoring. Constructivist knowers have a high level of self-efficacy and actively seek out mentors. Procedural knowers are not as self-assured as the constructivist. They thrive in an informal relationship with a mentor who provides guidance and helps her set goals. The third type of women in Egan's study, a subjective knower, is unlikely to sacrifice relationships for a career. Of the three types, the subjective knower is lowest in self-efficacy. However, a mentor will recognize talent and sponsor her. Two approaches to adult development suggested by Baumgartner (2001) are also relevant to this study. First, teachers who practice the contextual/sociocultural approach recognize that social inequities based on race, class, and gender affect the way adults develop and learn (para. 22). Similarly, Alfred (2002) states, educators must seek to understand the cultural world within which individuals have grown and developed (p.5). Second, Baumgartner's integrated approach focuses on how mind, body, spirituality, and socio-cultural influences affect the development of adults. Community education programs, like the one described below, address the holistic adult learner and her surrounding environment. Purpose The purpose of this article is to report on how one non-profit, community based organization helps disadvantaged women become professionals. This article grew out of a class assignment. Each student in Barbara's class, Education and Community, conducted a mini-case study. The goal was for students to understand how education and community are related while simultaneously building research skills. Monica, a student in the class, investigated the local Memphis affiliate of Dress for Success, Professional Women's Group (PWG) to determine how it meets the needs of a unique community of women who were seeking to develop professionally. Community organizations are popular sites for non-formal adult education. Taylor (2006) recognizes the importance of non-formal education because it is responsive to the needs of the learners and demonstrates a nonhierarchical relationship between the learner and the facilitator (p. 292). Community programs provide a wide variety of skills and knowledge that lead to personal as well as professional development. Some examples are cardio pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and swimming lessons offered through the American Red Cross, household financial management training offered to families who are Habitat for Humanity homeowners, and Read to Achieve sponsored by the Memphis Grizzlies. …