Dr. José E. Valle, researcher at INTRAS and author of numerous works on coeducation, inclusive and equal education, has been interviewed by the newspaper El País, for his article "Gender stereotypes persist at school", published on 25 March 2022.
According to Dr. Valle, boys and girls literally live in schools and that is why the fundamental space where they learn and practice equality has to be the educational centre.
In the article "Gender equality education in childhood and adolescence in Spanish schools: An investment for social transformation", recently published in the American journal "Education Policy Analysis Archives", after analysing the responses of almost 400 management teams from infant and primary schools throughout Spain, he highlights that families do not seem to demand education for equality as much as they do for other skills and, above all, that boys are much more reluctant to show their emotions than girls.
It is well known that inequality leads to gender-based violence, which has increased among young people. The solution lies in education, starting at school, in both school and out-of-school activities, sports and technological disciplines.
It would not be a bad thing either, she adds, to finish adapting school materials to the objectives of equality in terms of the presence of women, the use of non-sexist language or the gender representation of certain professions.
However, the support of the family, the media and audiovisual entertainment, which greatly influence the values acquired by children and adolescents, will always be needed.
