Percorrer por autor "Valadas, Sandra"
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- Older men´s perceptions on nonformal and formal activities in the communityPublication . Vilhena, Carla; Valadas, Sandra; Fragoso, António; Vieira, Cristina C.; Ostrouch-Kaminska, JoannaThe demographic landscape of Europe is undergoing a profound transformation, with a growing proportion of older adults. In response, European Commission has adopted the Active Ageing policy, aligning with the World Health Organization’s framework, to promote participation among older adults. However, participation in learning activities remains unevenly distributed, often favouring those with higher educational attainment and women. Drawing on Cumulative Advantage and Disadvantage theory, the main aim of this study is to understand if differences and similarities in older men’s perceptions of non-formal and informal activities are shaped by their educational attainment. Using a biographical research approach, we analysed narrative interviews with 54 older men from southern Portugal, alongside with three focus groups with educators and non-formal education providers. Our findings revealed that social class and gender are key factors in influencing older adults’ participation in learning and community activities. Older men with lower educational attainment faced precarious work conditions, financial instability, and limited engagement in learning activities. In contrast, those with higher educational attainment benefited from cultural engagement and social capital, being more involved in learning activities. Gender also influenced community participation, with older women favouring structured learning and older men favouring informal, community-based activities. Community activities seem to be a way for women to leave traditional domestic spaces and to express changes in their daily lives. The lower participation of men in such activities can be explained by social class, but also by the gendered nature of different spaces. Men tend to seek out safe, predominantly male spaces and avoid mixed education and learning spaces. Both situations stem from patriarchal dominance in private relations and a more nuanced relative dominance in community/societal relations.
- Resisting or complying with neoliberal subjectification? Finnish and Portuguese non-traditional graduates and their educational ethosesPublication . Sippola, Markku; Valadas, Sandra; Paulos, Liliana; Leal, CarolinaThe Bourdieusian view of higher education (HE) emphasises its inherited nature and function in maintaining social hierarches. This is in conflict with the egalitarian and meritocratic ideas prevailing in some welfare regimes, such as those organised around Social Democratic or Conservative precepts. Moreover, the Bologna Process that began in the 2000s instilled the idea of employability as a broader goal of HE within the EU. This study investigates the experiences of non-traditional graduates (NTGs) from Finland and Portugal in relation to the trends affecting welfare regimes and the historical trajectories of HE. In the analysis, the ethoses of ‘HE as a virtue’, ‘human capital’, and ‘employability’ were identified. The ethoses are accompanied by varying degrees of resisting or complying with commodification of HE and neoliberal subjectification. HE institutions can be regarded as providing distinctive ethoses of NTGs that can be traced back to the influence of their respective welfare regimes.