The politics of preparation for parenthood
The focus of this study is preparation for parenthood in U.K. secondary 
schools in the decade of the 1970s. During this period it was suggested 
that cycles of deprivation are set up by inadequacies in parenting, 
resulting in a range of social problems, and preparation for parenthood 
was supported as a means of breaking this cycle. The study explores 
relevant educational policy in the U.K. between the second world war, and 
the end of the 1970s, and the views of teachers and pupils involved in 
preparation for parenthood. Methods have involved semi-structured 
interviews, reviews of literature and policy, and discourse analysis. The 
theoretical perspective used is a feminist one. A number of questions are 
considered, including why preparation for parenthood became popular in 
the 1970s; why the call for this curriculum is sustained even though 
girls express knowledge and commitment in relation to future parental 
responsibilities; and what is the likely influence on the adult lives of 
girls of involvement with this aspect of schooling. In'addition there is 
a consideration of gender divisions, how these relate to preparation for 
parenthood, and also how the personal views of teachers might influence 
this aspect of their work. The role of the state, and of educational 
policy, is explored and the possibility is raised that the preparation 
for parenthood curriculum might contribute to the creation or maintenance 
of the deprivation that it sets out to oppose.
The Sociology of Women's Education as a Field of Academic Study
(1984). The Sociology of Women's Education as a Field of Academic Study. Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education: Vol. 5, No. 1, pp. 42-62.
Notes on the organization of women's studies
Synopsis These notes focus on the possibilities for the organization of Women's Studies (WS) courses. Some of the distinctive features of WS have been outlined, along with the problems that have to be faced in the attempt to transfer feminist principles to educational institutions. Six basic types of course design are presented and course outlines which exemplify this organization are included in summarized form. Ready availability has been the only criterion for the selection of course outlines which include examples from the United Kingdom, the United States and Australia.