Houses and sheds in Australia - an exploration of the genesis and growth of neighbourhood houses and men’s sheds in community settings

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Elsa

Reviews research on the origins and spread of neighbourhood houses and learning centres in Victoria, and community-based men’s sheds across Australia, highlighting both similarities and differences. Focuses on the gendered communities of practice supporting houses for women and sheds for men, examining how political and strategic decisions in each sector may be gender specific or gender neutral. Contextualizes neighbourhood houses as long established and men’s sheds as comparatively recent, shaping the available documentary and academic record.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages14

Reading Time35 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction and context for the article

Research focus and gender issues

Policy choices: gender specific vs gender neutral

236 John McIntyre Australian Journal of Adult Learning Volume 48, Number 2, July 2008 Notes 1 In the DEST paper, community education is defined as ‘comprising not-for-profit community based organisations with a local or regional focus that offer adult learning programs’. The intention of the definition is, quite rightly, to demarcate a not-for-profit community sector as distinct from the publicly-funded TAFE systems and the private sector. However, it is all-encompassing and draws the boundary very wide, certainly and well beyond those organisations identified as ‘adult and community education’ since the 1980s. It would encompass all those not-forprofit organisations that provide adult education as part of their charter, but not as their primary reason for existence – for example, many sporting and cultural associations, religious or special interest bodies. A useful qualification is to refer to those not-for-profit organisations whose primary purpose is to deliver adult education and training to the general community. 2 It needs to be stressed that policy itself is a domain of knowledge, though this is often not well understood. The educational policy literature (e.g. Ball 1990, Marginson 1993, Hammersley 2004) has explored in some depth the way policy is enacted by ‘policy actors’ in educational settings including those conducting commissioned research for government. The high level research commissioned by the ACFE Board is an example of‘research-for-policy’, where researchers are part of a policy process and contribute to policy knowledge. About the author Dr. John McIntyre is a research and policy consultant in adult learning. He worked in the professional preparation of adult and vocational educators for over 25 years at the University of Technology, Sydney, where he was later senior researcher and Director in the UTS Research Centre for Vocational Education and Training. He has been a member and Chair pro-tem of the NSW Board of Adult and Community Education, and currently chairs the NSW Advisory Committee on Community Education. He is an Honorary Associate of UTS and, since 2005, has been a Visiting Research Fellow with Adult Learning Australia. His research interests are in policy and participation in adult learning. Contact details 47 Boronia Road, Bullaburra, NSW 2784. Tel: (02) 4759 1443 Mobile: 0405 425 178 Email: [artpages@webcity.net.au](artpages@webcity.net.au) Website: [www.jamc.com.au](www.jamc.com.au) Houses and sheds in Australia: an exploration of the genesis and growth of neighbourhood houses and men’s sheds in community settings Barry Golding, Helen Kimberley, Annette Foley and Mike Brown School of Education, University of Ballarat & Equity Research Centre This article reviews research into the genesis and spread of both neighbourhood houses and learning centres in Victoria and community-based men’s sheds in Australia to identify some similarities and differences. Our article asks questions about the gendered communities of practice that underpin houses for women on the one hand, and sheds for men on the other. Our particular interest is with the gender issues associated with the development of the relatively mature neighbourhood house ‘sector’, and those associated with the very recent and developing community-based men’s sheds ‘sector’. Our underpinning research question has todo with the desirability (or otherwise) in each of these sectors of political and strategic decisions being either gender specific or gender neutral. We identify a number of tantalising parallels between the rationale behind the establishment of both sectors, for women and men, albeit in very different circumstances, along with some obvious differences. 238 Barry Golding, Helen Kimberley, Annette Foley and Mike Brown Houses and sheds: an exploration of the genesis and growth of neighbourhood houses 239 Introduction and context for the article This article is written at a time in 2008 when neighbour

FAQs

What does the article examine about neighbourhood houses and men’s sheds?

It examines the genesis and growth of neighbourhood houses and learning centres in Victoria, and the development of community-based men’s sheds across Australia, comparing similarities and differences.

Why is the men’s sheds record described as more limited than neighbourhood houses?

Men’s sheds are described as a newer phenomenon with national and Victorian associations forming only very recently, leading to a shorter documentary and academic history.

How does the article frame political and strategic decisions in these sectors?

It explores whether decisions are desirably gender specific or gender neutral, including how naming and educational strategies may reflect overt gender specificity or an inclusive, gender-neutral politics.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Elsa