This report reviews the extensive literature on women and vocational education and training. It aims to provide material useful to policy-makers and practitioners in planning responses which are appropriate to the nature and scope of women's disadvantage in VET. It also aims to provide guidance to researchers and research funding bodies on gaps in the existing research and the direction for possible future research. The report covers the political landscape (economic reforms and social trends), insights on women's participation in VET and a discussion of social justice and approaches to equity within VET. It also includes an extensive bibliography.
In the extensive literature search investigating the position of women in management and leadership in the workforce, there is consistent evidence of the way structures, practices, beliefs, values and attitudes continue to account for the problem of gender equity in the workforce. Much of the literature to date has, therefore, documented the considerable barriers to women's success in workplace cultures and environments. The emphasis in this study is on identifying the factors that currently shape the career success of women in process manufacturing.