Ricominciamo? Come le donne over 50 imparano a insegnare/Re-Starting? How women over 50 learn to teach

Abstract

This contribution examines the professional trajectories of women over 50 who, following employment interruptions or prior job failures, undertake lifelong learning pathways—specifically the Tirocinio Formativo Attivo, as defined in the Italian context—to access the teaching profession. The phenomenon reflects a social transformation described by Robert Castel, wherein educational labor increasingly assumes the characteristics of care work. This form of labor is predominantly performed by a feminized workforce, which is often older and subject to precarious employment conditions. The study is situated within a contextual framework that considers the intersection of gender and age dynamics. Age emerges as a competitive disadvantage in environments where caregiving responsibilities remain unevenly distributed between schools and families, and where organizationally adverse school conditions persist. Nonetheless, many women respond to these structural barriers by adopting innovative strategies of territorial mobility, mobilizing personal resources, and reactivating prior competencies.

Keywords: Age Inequality; Women; Educational Work; Care Economy.