ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on a specific illustration of 'work in progress' in women's education in Southampton. In 1973, in the wake of the government's poverty programme, the identification of Educational Priority Areas, Urban Aid and the National Community Development Project—the Russell Committee published its Plan for Development in which, among other things, it encouraged adult education to align itself with others of the 'caring professions' to target 'the disadvantaged' as special priority groups in the provision of adult education. The beginning of the women's education programme in Southampton in the mid-1970s was prey to this kind of thinking. Single parents, prisoners' wives, council-estate mothers of pre-school children were identified as 'prime targets'. In addition to Second Chance a further development over the last three years or so has been to increase and expand the women's education programme offered by the University, the Workers' Educational Association (WEA) and the local education authorities (LEAs).
