A pedagogy of freedom as a viable basis for implementing gender equality in Ukraine’s educational institutions

Abstract

In the state policies of European Union (EU) member countries, gender issues have become one of the main priorities since the 1990s, and independent Ukraine and Ukrainian non-governmental organisations have also gradually joined this agenda. Over the past three decades, Ukraine has engaged in efforts to restructure its educational institutions and processes on the basis of democratic principles free from any form of discrimination, including gender-related discrimination. These efforts have been promoted through joint projects with UN Women and other international organisations. While gender equality improvement strategies are now reflected in Ukrainian legislation, they are not yet fully implemented on the ground. In the context of presenting their concept of a pedagogy of freedom as a viable basis for the implementation of gender equality in Ukraine’s educational institutions, the authors analyse research literature devoted to addressing freedom and gender equality in educational policies. They conclude that individual learners’ free self-determination, self-development and self-realisation can only be an effective factor in realising gender equality if pedagogical activity and learning spaces are designed to support the development of learners’ full potential.