Generation and Construction of Professional Identity

Authors

  • Sonsoles San Ramon Gago Universidad Autónoma de Madrid

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14507/epaa.v9n19.2001

Keywords:

Schoolmistress, Spain, History, Francoism, Testimonies, Professional Equality

Abstract

It is my aim in this article to carry out a thorough examination of the basic elements, ideology and symbolic representations which constitute the identity of a generation of schoolmistresses belonging to a crucial period in Spanish history: that of the intermediate Francoism, during the process of modernization which took place at the end of the 1950s. The investigation is based on live testimonies of schoolmistresses between the ages of 65 and 70. First, I will point out the antecedents of the profession of schoolmistress in Spain and show how circumstances made her role gradually and increasingly more important. Then I will reveal what kinds of opposition and obstacles schoolmistresses came up against and had to overcome in order to obtain professional equality with male colleagues. Finally, I will contextualize and interpret, in cultural terms, the attitudes, images and motivations, which turned out to be very symbolic, that arose during the interviews with these women. This article, which fills a large gap in research on this subject, concentrates on a very particular and decisive moment. It is my intention to invite the reader to reflect on a social phenomenon of great importance today: that of the feminization of teaching, which can be seen in most countries and whose influence can be observed, not only in a country´s educational system, but in the economic, political, religious and cultural spheres as well.

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Author Biography

Sonsoles San Ramon Gago, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid

Miembro del Comité Internacional sobre los procesos de feminización del magisterio, es autora, entre otros, de los libros: Las primeras maestras. Los orígenes del proceso de feminización docente en España, Barcelona, ed. Ariel, 1998 (libro con gran repercusión en prensa: EL PAÍS, ABC, Escuela española), y La maestra española en el proceso de cambio social hacia la transición democrática en España, 1931-1990, Madrid, Ministerio de Asuntos Sociales. Instituto de la Mujer, (en prensa a finales de 2001).

Published

2001-05-22

How to Cite

San Ramon Gago, S. (2001). Generation and Construction of Professional Identity. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 9, 19. https://doi.org/10.14507/epaa.v9n19.2001

Issue

Section

Articles