Life long training and updating of skills is a major requirement of post-modern societies. Indeed this has been at the core of EU policies for the past few years (EU, 2001). However, in Europe there is a discrepancy as to working age adults’ participation in life long training, updating of skills etc. In some countries particularly in Northern Europe people manage to perform this much more successfully than in other countries (Eastern and Southern Europe).

The decision of adults to engage in education is a complex one according to Davies et al (2002) as participation needs to overcome barriers linked to the realities of adults’ lives: a multiplicity of roles, costs of study, the importance and value attached to caring responsibilities, and time management problems. This is particularly acute for women who are frequently expected to perform multiple and conflicting social roles in the private and public social spheres. In Greece and Cyprus this becomes even more problematic given the position of women in most areas of social life (i.e. family, education and labour force). It has often been reported (Maratou-Alipranti, 1995; Cavounidis, 1996; Mousourou, 2003; Vryonides and Zembylas, 2008) that in Greece the ‘traditional’ division of labour within the home has not essentially changed, even when women in large proportions have entered the labour market. As a result, for most women fulfilling familial responsibilities while working full-time continues to be an ensuing burden in terms of time and energy spent. This in turn has serious consequences for their pursuit of better opportunities in terms of educational and career development (Vryonides & Vitsilakis, 2008).

This paper makes a brief introduction into the necessity of having life long learning programs for working adults. Then it looks at the policies at national and supra-national (European) level aiming at promoting life-long learning and the criticism that is often attached to it (Dehmel, 2006). It then moves to an examination of the results of the European Social Survey of 20 European countries examining the issue of working age adults’ participation in such programs in the previous 12 months. We focus particularly on women and try to seek factors that may hamper participation in such activities. The results will then be discussed in line with the policies and issues relating to the promotion of policies for life long learning and gender equality.

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