Ilusión de conciliación y persistencia de desigualdades en educación a distancia

Abstract

This article analyzes the social conditions shaping access to and persistence in technology-mediated distance higher education, based on a case study of the Bachelor’s Degree in Education at the National University of Rafaela (Argentina). Drawing on a situated intersectional perspective, it examines how gender, care responsibilities, paid work, and territory intersect in the experiences of adult working women entering university through this modality. Methodologically, the study adopts a mixed-methods design combining quantitative data from a self-administered questionnaire applied during the introductory workshop to university studies (2023–2024) and semi-structured interviews conducted within the research project Who Studies at a Distance? Findings reveal a highly feminized student body, strong labor market participation, and a significant proportion of first-generation university students. Results show that distance education effectively broadens access, particularly in territories distant from major urban centers. However, the promise of reconciling study, work, and care is sustained through the intensification of unpaid domestic labor and the activation of feminized support networks. The article proposes the concept of «illusion of conciliation» to name the tension between expectations of flexibility and the structural inequalities organizing time and care.