Women Empowerment through Open and Distance Learning In Zimbabwe

Abstract

The primary aim of the study was to uncover demographic and socio-economic details and reasons for opting for open and distance learning. Although the focus was on women learners, the study adopted a gender approach in assessing access to university education through open and distance learning in order to study both men and women. This helped to interrogate, articulate and analyse the gender construction of distance education learners and delivery of open and distance learning at the Zimbabwe Open University. Women constitute a substantial proportion of those marginalised by conventional systems of learning at university level. The problems of access to tertiary education are mostly restrictive socio-economic factors. Data collection techniques included interviews, focus groups and document reviews. Using the elicitation approach, forty-five learners and seven graduates were selected on the basis of representativeness in terms of academic level and discipline. Data were analysed using statistical tests and descriptive or thematic analysis. The study revealed that a significant number of respondents were working married women with children who found open and distance learning framework more compatible with their multiple tasks; household chores, education, wage work, family, relatives and community at large. The findings showed that open and distance learning helped women to circumvent constraints of time, space, resources and socio-economic barriers thereby significantly contributing to their empowerment. A majority of women took a break to attend to their multiple duties either during or after undergraduate studies.