Can the Barriers be Breached? Mature Women's Access to Higher Education

ABSTRACT

In the current climate of change and expansion in higher education, a danger exists that mature women students will not be given equitable access because the fundamental barriers to their full participation are not acknowledged. As a result, adequate support and academic facilities, such as childcare, woman‐friendly courses, teaching and assessment methods, sympathetic timetables and counselling services, are not provided for them. This paper examines the barriers that mature women wishing to enter higher education have to overcome, and suggests solutions that would facilitate the dismantling of these.