Giving a voice to lone mothers: Investigating the impact of neoliberal policies on accessing and participating in further education.

This research is an inquiry into the experiences of lone mothers who are trying to access and/or participate in further education in the presence of neoliberal policies. Its aims are to highlight the impact of neoliberal policies like labour activation has, on lone mothers in education. It also seeks to highlight the existing barriers which lone mothers face, with gender being a key theme running throughout the research. The findings suggest that the participants in this research were worse off financially because of the implications of labour activation policies, that education for the sole purpose of labour activation, in most participants, has not being successful and did not lead to secure well-paid employment. Instead, it has been stated by participants in this research, that it may lead to the production of low-skilled workers, to feed the demands of an unsecure labour market to work in minimum wage employment, therefore reproducing inequality and keeping lone mothers trapped in a cycle of poverty. The findings also suggest that if the right type of education is attainable, that the participants felt it is very valuable, because they felt that it would have a positive influence on their child/children’s development and it increased their chances of being successful in life. This research also suggests that a good education, one not just for labour activation, gave lone mothers confidence and a positive outlook on their lives. This research seeks to inform those in powerful policy making positions to consider the experiences of the lone mothers voices in this thesis and the impact which neoliberal policies had on them in real terms, to make improvements to failing policies which already exist. It also seeks for care of children and their well-being to be taken into consideration when rolling out labour activation policies, and the long term affects that they may have on the next generation given the mounting social problems that exist of today.

Level dc:type.qualificationlevel

masters

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

National University of Ireland Maynooth

Year dc:date.issued

2017

Author dc:creator

• Sinnott, Christina

Language dc:language

en