Gender equality education in childhood and adolescence in Spanish schools: An investment for social transformation

Abstract

Gender equality constitutes a fundamental legal value of modern societies. However, inequality between men and women is still an axial feature in Spanish society today, and education plays a key role in this regard. This research measures the climate and analyzes the capacity of the Spanish nursery and primary schools to offer an education in gender equality, valid to tackle gender violence, through its prevention from the beginning of the education and socialization process. To do this, it analyzes the existence of sexist prejudices, school materials and texts, the role and training of teachers, the concern of families or the strategies of the schools themselves in this regard. The methodology used includes a survey answered by the management teams of a large sample of Spanish schools (388), complemented by in-depth interviews (16), and the analysis of institutional academic documents. The study shows the persistence of important gender stereotypes, and proposes to attack the roots of gender inequality from school, exercising our ethical responsibility as a society in the construction of a culture of equal opportunities between men and women and the prevention of gender violence.