Why have a proposal for gender training in the university?

Abstract

This article aims to justify the importance and the need of formation on gender issues and training of gender perspective for students of Education degrees. It reviews the Spanish legislative framework stating that, so far, it has not had a direct impact on the application of gender mainstreaming in university tuition. The implication of teachers and students on the introduction of the gender perspective in their lessons continues depending on their goodwill and sensitivity towards the gender issues. We also develop what the acquisition of a gender perspective may mean and imply for students: knowledge of new frameworks from which to interpret reality, verification of young people’s idea about the feminist movement (who has supported gender concepts not only as descriptors of the social relationships but as key elements for the subversions of the social order). Finally, the article presents an experience of gender perspective carried out with Pedagogy students. We have based our methodology on students keeping a “reflective journal” from which we could extract the changes and observe their perceptions, attitudes and behaviours.