Gender in schools and culture: taking stock of education in Italy

Italian schools are just the mirror image of a sexist society which in turn acts as the driving force for a traditional and stereotypical view of male and female roles. The article aims to discuss this theory, with investigation of three problematic areas: the phenomenon of separation in professional training; sexist stereotypes transmitted through textbooks; and the lack of adequate training for teachers. The first aspect will be interpreted as a problem that concerns not only female but also male careers in education: the need to prioritize a female presence in the technical and scientific sectors must be reflected in investments through policies aiming to motivate young people towards the care and education sectors as well. The second aspect (sexism in textbooks) will be tackled with reference to my own empirical research on gender images in primary school reading books. This research was carried out following the POLITE project (for equal opportunities in textbooks), promoted by in the early 2000s by the Department for Equal Opportunities. The third area will aim to summarise the current study and research situation concerning awareness of gender issues among current teaching staff, and outline a mapping scheme of “virtuous” contexts which are implementing gender awareness in teacher training.