The impact of feminism on adult education publications: An analysis of British and American journals

Feminism has potentially important implications for adult education scholarship yet the actual influence of feminism has not previously been assessed in a comprehensive manner. This study sought to determine the extent to which selected adult education publications have been receptive to feminist perspectives. Major research objectives included: (1) to analyse trends in the inclusion of women and gender differences as central topics in adult education journals; and (2) to assess, through content analysis, the treatment of women and gender differences in journal articles not primarily focused on women or gender differences. A secondary objective was to compare trends in British and American publications. Four major adult education journals were analysed for trends from 1966-88; six journals were subject to a more detailed content analysis of publications in 1987-88. Findings indicate that only one journal, Adult Education (British), showed an identifiable increase in articles on women and gender for the 23-year trend analysis. The content analysis revealed that general articles in all journals showed few signs of feminist influence. Factors that might inhibit the integration of feminist perspectives into adult education publications are discussed.