Browsing by Subject "jämställdhetsplan"

Gender equality research in Finnish basic education has shown that there are differences between how girls and boys are treated in school. An extension of the Gender Equality Act obligates educational institutions to form school-specific gender equality plans. The purpose of this study is to review gender equality plans that elementary schools have formulated: what problems are discussed, what actions schools have chosen to implement and which shortcomings that can be observed. The study aims to assess how well the plans address the gender issues that research has identified in the school world and whether they can serve as an effective tool for schools in promoting gender equality. The results of the study show that schools have mainly discussed gender norms, sexist name calling and bullying, and focused on how teachers treat students. On the other hand, some key aspects such as gender diversity and differences in performance between genders have been ignored in the gender equality plans. Methods that schools have chosen to implement include exercises with the students, teachers changing their behavior and staff training. There were some clear shortcomings in the plans, the most obvious being some plans not mentioning any measures to promote gender equality.