Conference Program

In Italy, gender segregation in upper secondary education - with some studies being perceived as “for girls” and others as “for boys” - represents a structural phenomenon that has still received limited public debate. This so-called “stereotyped education” intersects with dynamics of “early socialization,” fueled by stereotypes deeply rooted in society and in the labor market, and often reproduced by schools starting in early childhood education. In this way, they contribute to reproducing gender inequalities in professional opportunities and careers, reinforcing the traditional division of roles in the world of work.

The causes of this phenomenon are multiple and can be traced back to structural, cultural, and institutional factors. The Italian upper secondary school system includes more than 180 different study choices, distributed across academic high schools (“Licei”) and, above all, technical and vocational programs (“Istituti Tecnici” e “Istituti professionali”). Fifty-two percent of these studies show a strongly unbalanced gender composition: in many cases, girls or boys account for more than 75% of enrolled students, and not infrequently reach or exceed 80%, 90%, or even near totality. In practical terms, one out of every two students experiences an education in which they belong either to a clear gender majority or a clear minority.

Girls encounter greater difficulties than their male peers in overcoming barriers linked to “male-dominated” education. Only one third of the studies with strong gender imbalance are skewed in favor of girls, while the remaining two thirds are dominated by boys. Moreover, male students tend to enroll - albeit in smaller proportions - in female-dominated studies (acquiring, among others, care-related, educational, artistic, and linguistic skills).

What then, are the underlying causes of this gendered education? And which strategies can be adopted to counter it at the micro level (individual schools), meso level (school systems and local contexts), and macro level (national policies)? What role can other educational agencies and local stakeholders play?

The contribution first aims to provide an updated and comprehensive overview of the phenomenon through the analysis of data and its determinants. Secondly, it will present several practical proposals to address it. Particular emphasis will be placed on the Gender Equality Charter Mark (“Carta della parità di genere”), promoted by Oxfam Italy and piloted, in collaboration with INDIRE, in numerous schools across primary and secondary education throughout Northern, Central, and Southern Italy. This is a systemic tool that enables schools to carry out a self-assessment regarding the actions undertaken - in terms of a school’s vision and mission, organization, leadership, subject teaching, textbooks, communication and relationships with students, as well as engagement with local communities - in order to prevent gender discrimination and violence and to make the school environment increasingly inclusive and equal. Finally, the contribution will focus on the tool’s impact, namely the processes activated and the evidence emerged.