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    Challenges and opportunities in teaching gender equality in Irish secondary schools


    Arnold, Sarah and Fox, Izzy (2025) Challenges and opportunities in teaching gender equality in Irish secondary schools. Gender and Education, 37 (3). pp. 364-380. ISSN 0954-0253

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    Abstract

    Challenges related to the teaching of gender equality in Irish secondary schools are multifaceted and include: insufficient gender equality training for teachers; tendencies towards conservative and religious ethos schools; lack of space in which to address gender topics and issues (including gender identity, gender stereotyping, gender discrimination) in the curriculum and, especially, growing resistance to gender equality and gender mainstreaming from a variety of stakeholders including schools, teachers, parents and students. This paper stems from a transnational European project – GEMINI – aimed at gender mainstreaming through media literacy and presents findings from a study of 12 Irish secondary school teachers in different secondary school types who detail their interest and engagement with gender equality and gender issues, but identify multiple forms of resistance to the delivery of gender equality education. Teachers express fears about rising misogyny among students and raise concerns about the influence of controversial sexist figures like Andrew Tate, especially among boys in Ireland. Findings contribute to the literature on challenges to gender mainstreaming and media literacy in Ireland.
    Item Type: Article
    Keywords: Gender; education; school; equality; resistance;
    Academic Unit: Faculty of Arts,Celtic Studies and Philosophy > School of English, Media & Theatre Studies > Media Studies
    Item ID: 19614
    Identification Number: 10.1080/09540253.2025.2462051
    Depositing User: Sarah Arnold
    Date Deposited: 27 Mar 2025 10:49
    Journal or Publication Title: Gender and Education
    Publisher: Routledge
    Refereed: Yes
    Related URLs:
    URI: https://mural.maynoothuniversity.ie/id/eprint/19614
    Use Licence: This item is available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike Licence (CC BY-NC-SA). Details of this licence are available here

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