The KIX LAC Community of Practice on Gender and Education held its fourth work session and webinar “Pedagogies for an education with a gender equality perspective”, with the objective of learning the academia’s perspective on the teachers’ role in developing these pedagogies.
Andrea Lira, an academic at Universidad de Magallanes (Chile), presented Initial Conversations and Conceptual Distinctions on Feminism in Education, reflecting on how we currently think about gender and the resistance that is generated when these conceptions are questioned, where our culture is based on a patriarchal structure that builds and repeats gender inequalities in all areas, but, especially in schools, they become a key place for the reproduction and teaching of these same inequalities.
Following, Dr. Charmaine Bissessar, a professor at Universidad de Guyana spoke about the gender perspective in public education, theorizing that inequality occurs because educational systems continue to follow a patriarchal ideology of domination and, in many cases, male teachers through their practises stimulate it in such a way that there is no true equality within the classrooms. Likewise, she highlighted the role of the school as a place that dictates norms for socialization and, in most countries, it reproduces the existing norms of inequality between boys and girls. Some recommendations to achieve gender equity in the teaching process:
- Train directors and administrators from the education sector on issues related to gender equality.
- Train teachers on inclusive practises and pedagogies, to eliminate racial, sexual or socioeconomic discrimination of students.
- Monitor teacher interaction with students to ensure that there is equitable treatment of all.
- Create and implement policies that encourage gender equality and build high self-esteem in boys and girls.
