DRAFT COPY
INCLUSION, EXCLUSION AND CULTURAL AWARENESS: CAREER SERVICES SUPPORTING THE CAREER ASPIRATIONS OF MUSLIM GIRLS
by
Marie Parker-Jenkins, School of Education and Social Science, University of Derby
Dimitra Hartas, School of Education and Social Science, University of Derby
Barrie A.Irving, Centre for Research into Guidance-Related Studies, Kent
Vivienne Barker, Centre for Research into Guidance-Related Studies, Kent
Paper presented at the European Conference on Educational Research, Lahti, Finland 22-25 September 1999.
Correspondence to:
Professor Marie Parker-Jenkins
School of Education and Social Science
University of Derby
Mickleover
Derby DE3 5GX
Telephone : 01332-622222 ext 2089
Fax : 01332-622766
E-mail :
INCLUSION, EXCLUSION AND CULTRUAL AWARENESS: CAREER SERVICES SUPPORTING THE CAREER ASPIRATIONS OF MUSLIM GIRLS
Marie Parker-Jenkins (University of Derby)
Dimitra Hartas(University of Derby)
Barrie Irving(CRIGA, College of Guidance Studies, Kent)
Vivienne Barker(CRIGA, College of Guidance Studies, Kent)
Abstract
What should be the role of career services? What is their cultural knowledge of Muslim girls, and in what ways can they assist this minority group in achieving their career aspirations? These are some of the questions we posed in a DfEE funded project into the position of career services as gatekeepers to professional advancement. Through quantitative surveys, all 66 Career Services in England were approached and we had a return rate of 82%. Additionally, we conducted in-depth case study of 5 of these providers, to explore the support available for minority groups with particular reference to Muslim girls. Within this paper we analyse the issue of: religious affiliation, ethnic monitoring, and equal opportunities. Finally, the discussion concludes with examination of the framework we devised which enables Career Services to review and evaluate current practice, supported by examples of positive practice aimed at addressing such issues as prejudice caused by religious as well as racial identity.
Bibliography
Marie Parker-Jenkins is Research Professor in Education at the University of Derby and Director of the Research Unit for Education and Professional Practice. She has conducted research and published on a number of projects concerned with gender equity.
Dimitra Hartas is a Research Fellow with extensive experience of research in international settings. She is also an Educational Psychologist with a particular interest in special needs.
BarrieIrving is Director of Research at the Centre for Research into Guidance-Related Activities within the College of Guidance Studies (CRiGA). He has an on-going interest and has published widely in the field of career education guidance, lifelong learning and issues of equity and social justice.
Vivienne Barker is a Research associate at CRiGA and is currently involved in researching into guidance needs of the long-term unemployed and the impact of the “New Deal”. She is also interested in issues of guidance, access and equity.
Introduction
This paper draws upon our research exploring the career destinations of Muslim women in Britain. Initially we were funded by the Leverhulme Trust* to consider where Muslim women were positioned in the labour market. This was a three year study, involving 120 Muslim women in four geographical locations in Britain. Building on from that, the Department for Education and Employment commissioned us to assess the role of the Career Services in supporting this minority group fulfill their career aspirations. In this project, we wanted to explore the extent to which Career Companies in England recognise and hence meet the guidance needs of young Muslim women in their final years of compulsory schooling. Careers Companies operate across, and within, both compulsory education and the post-compulsory arena, therefore their potential influence should not be underestimated. Alongside their pre-16 work in schools with students, teachers and parents, careers staff are also active within the wider community. If the career aspirations of Muslim girls are to be supported and their interests promoted, it would appear to be essential that an underpinning philosophy of equity and social justice is evident in the work of Careers Companies. Their policies will therefore need to be holistic in nature, yet be multi-faceted to ensure that they acknowledge difference and thereby the impact upon practice should be significant. Theoretically, our work was underpinned in part by the writings of Young (1990) who claims: “the politics of difference ..... aims for an understanding of group difference as entailing neither amorphous unity nor pure individuality”.
We aimed to discover whether Muslim women were in the workplace or not, and if not, why not? Secondly, we wanted to explore the role of the careers services in supporting their professional aspirations. In this paper, we report our research findings as follows:
Contextual background; why Muslim girls?
Methodology;
Barriers to career progression;
The Careers Service and Muslim girls;
Ethnic monitoring;
A means of analysing between client groups;
Targeting of Strategies and Activities.
Discussion
Finally, the paper provides discussion of the attitudes and values shared by employers, career services, Muslim communities and schools; and we examine questions of access experienced by some women, particularly those who appeared more “orthodox” in their appearance and in their interpretation of what it is to be Muslim woman. This moves us on to examine the issue of exclusion caused by religious rather than racial grounds. Whilst this form of discrimination is immoral not illegal under current legislation in this country, there have been calls to address practice of this sort which results in social exclusion.
*We wish to acknowledge the contribution of Dr Kaye F. Haw for her work on the Leverhulme Project, 1995-98.
Background
This paper draws upon earlier and current research undertaken by the authors to explore the extent to which Careers Companies in England recognise and support (a) the career destination of Muslim women; and (b) meet the guidance needs of these women in their final years of compulsory schooling. Careers Companies operate across, and within, both compulsory education and the post-compulsory arena, therefore their potential influence should not be underestimated. Alongside their pre-16 work in schools with students, teachers and parents, careers staff are also active within the wider community. This community involvement includes the development of relationships with post-16 educational institutions, training providers, employers and local representative organisations. If the career aspirations of Muslim girls are to be supported and their interests promoted, it would appear to be essential that an underpinning philosophy of equity and social justice is evident in the work of Careers Companies. Their policies will therefore need to be holistic in nature, yet be multi-faceted to ensure that they acknowledge difference and thereby the impact upon practice should be significant. It is important to recognise that, to quote Young (1990):
The politics of difference . . . aims for an understanding on group difference . . .
as entailing neither amorphous unity nor pure individually, (p.171).
These are the major issues that are considered in relation to the emerging patterns identified from our research, and the discussion is informed by our findings. In presenting our work here we focus on the following areas: background to the study; the sample group; research methodology; barriers to progression; the role of the career services; a frame work of analysis; socio-cultural factors; and employers. Finally, the paper concludes with discussion of the key issues emerging from our research namely agency, provision, gender and religious-equity.
All young people have a statutory right to careers guidance provision during their final two years of compulsory schooling (from year 9 onwards). Essentially its role is to assist students in finding their way through the maze of pathways and options available at the end of year 11. Moreover, it is concerned with the development of career management skills which will enable students to accept greater responsibility for their own actions, and give them more control over their futures. A major underpinning philosophy within career guidance is the notion of individual empowerment, supported by a belief in impartiality, fairness and equality of provision for all.
Initially formed in 1973, Careers Services were the responsibility of Local Education Authorities. During the 1990s, as an outcome of the New Right’s drive to reduce the power of public services, they were opened up to market competition (Willcocks and Harrow, 1992). Contracts are now awarded by the Department for Education and Employment (DfEE) to private consortiums /companies who are able to meet their specifications on price and quality. The outcome of this strategy has resulted in the majority of Careers Companies in England now being run as partnerships between Training and Enterprise Councils (TECs) and LEAs, with Boards of Directors which include community representatives, predominantly from the local business sector. Guidelines, known as the Requirements and Guidance for Careers Service Providers (RGP) which determine the general focus and priorities of Careers Companies, are drawn up centrally by the DfEE as a response to Government policy, and delivery success is measured against the targets that are set.
With a change of Government in 1997, there has (in part) come a change in philosophy. The RGP (1998) now requires Careers Services to ensure that the needs of the disadvantaged are met, and to concentrate their delivery upon those for whom it can make the greatest difference. The necessity to work in partnership with the wider community, in order to develop and implement initiatives and raise motivation and participation amongst young people at risk of social exclusion, is now central. In the 1996 publication, ‘Guidelines to Good Practice in Promoting Equal Opportunities in the Careers Service’, the DfEE lay out the legislative and contractual obligations incumbent upon the Careers Companies and provides examples of good practice. Careers Companies are regarded as service providers, working with the local community, parents, educational institutions and opportunity providers, in their promotion of equal opportunities. It also recognises that different Services may wish to target distinct client groups. The implication here is that the implementation of an equal opportunities policy does not mean providing the same for all.
Why Muslim girls ?
From our funded study of the career aspirations of Muslim women for the Leverhulme Trust (1995-8) we discovered that .. because of their religious/cultural location within mainstream British society, Muslim girls may become excluded from ‘mainstream’ opportunities due to a lack of understanding about their unique and sometimes complex situations (Parker-Jenkins and Irving, 1999). Over one hundred Muslim women aged 16-24 took part in the study in four geographical locations in the Midlands and the North of England between 1995-98. They were predominantly of Pakistani or African descent, second generation, and their socio-economic backgrounds were varied. Educationally, they had been taught here in range of schools from single sex and mixed comprehensives, to private Muslim girl’s schools. They run the risk of falling into a group which experiences difficulties in making a successful transition from their period of compulsory schooling into the world of post-16 education, training or employment. It was this aspect of our work which led to funding from the Department for Education and Employment to explore the role of the Career Services and which forms the substantive part of the paper.
Muslims comprise Britain’s largest ethnic minority group, estimated at 1.5 million members (Sarvar, 1994; Anwar, 1993). Of these, about 0.5 million are children of compulsory school age, compared with a general population figure of 16%, and almost 60% are under 25 years of age, compared to 32% nationally (British Muslim Monthly Survey, 1993). The term Muslim describes individuals who adhere to the Islamic faith, hence the terminology implies homogeneity, yet diversity is apparent in language, history, cultural background and race (Gillborn, 1997). Moreover, evidence suggests that these can impact together with gender and socio-economic class (Runnymede, Trust 1994) making the position of Muslim girls seeking to enter the labour market even more vulnerable. We recorded in 1997 that Muslim women have to work twice as hard to succeed as they are likely to face hostility at college; discrimination in the labour market; and experience a cultural/religious struggle within their communities (Parker-Jenkins, Haw and Irving; 1997). Muslim girls (along with girls in other ethnic minority groups) therefore might by seen to be doubly marginalized because, writes Corson:
. . . the study and practice of multicultural education tends to treat members of any single culture as a homogeneous group, with little regard for sex, (1998:83).
The mediating role for Careers Companies would appear to be fundamental within this religious/cultural domain occupied by Muslim girls. Relationships with family and an understanding of the social mores of local communities will be essential if they are to impact upon Muslim girls live. It is from within this context that the research was undertaken.
Research Methodology
The primary aim of the study currently in progress, and which this paper is based upon, is to investigate the extent to which Careers Companies and their staff are effective in meeting the career guidance needs of Muslim girls (during their final years of compulsory schooling); through an examination of their understanding of this particular client group, and the practices they employ as a result of this, by:
providing an overall picture of practice currently undertaken by Careers Services in England in the implementation of their equal opportunities policies in relation to the career guidance needs of Muslim girls;
providing a pool of information, and examples of good practice, from which Careers Services may draw ideas to inform their own philosophy, policy and practice;
stimulating further debate concerning how the needs of Muslim girls, and other clients who are vulnerable to social exclusion, can be identified and met through Careers Service provision;
putting forward a framework for analysing current provision and for planning future targeted career guidance provision for particular client groups.
Both qualitative and quantitative methods were adopted to ensure that both depth and richness of data was collected.
The qualitative study was undertaken with Careers Companies in 5 areas of England where there are significant Muslim populations. Semi-structured interviews were used with a range of Careers Company staff, ranging from the Chief Executive through to specialist and generic Careers Advisers and front-line staff. Interviews were taped and transcribed.
Following a pilot study, a large scale survey was also undertaken with all of the English Careers Companies (excluding those in the pilot and in-depth study). Responses were received from 57 of the 66 Careers Companies contacted (82% return rate). This data was enriched by a telephone
survey of a sample of respondents who were undertaking activities specifically targeted at Muslims in general.
Barriers to Career Progression and the Careers Service
The barriers that Muslim girls face are recorded through studies both recent and past, which reflect the variety of responses by those living in the Muslim community, to living in Britain in the 1990s. Moreover, they also provide a clearer insight into the complexity of issues encountered by Muslim girls. As Haw (1998) observes, Muslim communities exhibit rapidly changing patterns of beliefs and behaviours, not least because of the very different social experiences of Muslim youth compared to their parents. This shows itself, for instance, through a gradual change in the attitude of some Muslim parents towards the education of their daughters. Siann et al (1990) Siann and Knox (1992) found from their research, that Muslim girls are as interested as their non Muslim peers in careers and higher education, and do not appear to be over-aspiring. Further, they regard their parents as interested and supportive, there being few careers which their parents would not agree to them entering. Parents however were often lacking knowledge about careers and opportunities and it was felt that there was considerable scope for more information to be disseminated to parents. The production of information in community languages is predominantly undertaken within those areas with large ethnic populations. In other parts of the country, those who do not have English as a first language would need to seek translation themselves. It is also important to note that information in isolation of explanation and discussion only reveals a partial picture.
Siann and Knox also point to the role which Careers Companies could play in easing the way for Muslim girls, not least through being aware of the complexity of issues involved, and the need to avoid stereotyping. Irving, Parker-Jenkins and Haw (1997) report that, although there are commonalities in the experiences of young Muslim women, there is also a need to avoid the imposition of ‘universal truths and solutions’. Not all Muslim girls are in communities prepared to engage in a ‘liberal dynamic interplay’, instead the maintenance of a more ‘traditional’ stance may be the reality. These girls too are faced with coming to terms with how they can make decisions about their futures.