Approaches to gender equity in science education: Three alternatives and two examples

Abstract

In this paper I use feminist critique of science to discuss different understandings of how sex/gender impacts on pupils' approaches to science education. I construct a theoretical framework that shows three different approaches to increase gender equity in science education. Each approach is grounded in a distinct understanding of how sex/gender impact on pupils' engagement in science education. I use the constructed theoretical framework to analyse the perceptions of sex/gender that underpin two science education initiatives in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The two initiatives are the ‘Female Education in Science and Mathematics’ project, FEMSA and ‘African Forum for Children's Literacy in Science and Technology’ (AFCLIST). My analysis shows that the two initiatives reflect two different understandings of how sex/gender impacts on pupils' engagement in science education and of how gender inequity in science education should best be approached. Although neither of the initiatives was influenced by feminist theories and critiques of science, this study suggests that this discourse can still be used to analyse such initiatives from a fresh perspective.