Browsing by Author "Majava, Anna"

Tiivistelmä – Abstrakt – Abstract The goal of this thesis was to analyze the National core curriculum for basic education (2014) in the light of gender equality. The curriculum was analyzed using discourse analysis. Using this method, the intention was to examine how themes of gender and equality are brougt up in the document and on the other hand what is left untold. It was also analyzed vhat kind of representations of genders the document creates. Intersectional approach was also used while analyzing gender in the document. Using this approach it was analyzed how gender intertwined with other factors in the curriculum and how they impact the discourse of equality. Although other factors were brought into attention through intersectionality, gender is kept as the main theme of the analysis. The results indicated that the curriculum had mentions of gender very rarely and the discussion on the theme remained shallow. The document tried to encourage its readers to be aware of gender roles and to avoid endorsing them in school. However, the discourse of gender remains somewhat binary in the document, which endorses the impression of binary gender. The impression of equality was mainly individual based, meaning that it emphasized non-discriminatory policys. The discourse in the curriculum lacked discussion on hierarchy and power and emphasized individuals, communities and their ways of action instead of societys structures. The document did not take intersectionality into consideration to an extent. There is an intent to take the equality of genders into consideration in the document. However, from shallowness and the binary representation can be deduced that the themes are not taken into consideration thoughtfully enough. There is also lack of concrete tools for helping forward gender equality, which speaks of equality taken as granted. All in all the discourse of gender in the curriculum reaches for the ideal of equality, but does not help bringing up the problems that need solving.