European Trade Union Committee for Education

On 22 February 2017, the French High Council for Equality between men and women published a report on gender equality in education. The High Council recognises the role of schools as essential for the realisation of an equal society in the future. Noticing that education personnel, and the entire society alike, has internalised gender stereotypes and reproduces these stereotypes throughout the process of education, the High Council critically remarks the lack of additional training dedicated to equality in education.

Based on the report, the High Council formulates recommendations for the education of teachers and education personnel, for both initial training as well as professional development. These recommendations include giving equality education a more prominent position in the curriculum, increase the presence of experts on gender equality in institutions that offer training for education personnel, make knowledge about gender equality a prerequisite for obtaining a teaching license, and create resources (in the form of guides and expert pools) on the topic.

As Isabelle Collet, researcher in educational sciences, puts it: “Teaching is a profession that can be learned, teaching in an equal manner can be learned as well.”