Teaching wi h gende in mind
In an e a whe e inclusi i y and di e si y a e inc easingly ecognised as undamen al pilla s o educa ion, i is
impo an o ensu e ha eaching p ac ices a e gende -sensi i e and inclusi e.
The gende equali y mo emen is a g ass oo s mo emen . Many imes, ini ia i es a e d i en by indi iduals.
Bu e en wi h a s ong commi men o he ask, you need he p ope ools o ac on i . This b ie summa ises
wha you as an indi idual eache can do o inc ease gende equali y in you impo an ask o shaping u u e
gene a ions. And how you can wo k o o malise eaching h ough a gende lens in you o ganisa ion.
This checklis p o ides a comp ehensi e amewo k wi h
ecommenda ions on how o os e an en i onmen
whe e all s uden s eel espec ed, ep esen ed,
and empowe ed. F om de ining gende -sensi i e
compe encies o conduc ing cou se e alua ions
inclusi e o bo h eache s’ and s uden s’ inpu s, each
ecommenda ion se es as a c ucial s ep owa ds
c ea ing a mo e inclusi e educa ional expe ience.
The ecommenda ions in his b ie co e s he ollowing
phases o eaching and lea ning wi h gende in mind:
• Be o e — making su e you cou se includes a
gende pe spec i e
• Du ing — eaching wi h a gende lens
• A e — e alua ing s uden & eache pe spec i es
• Ad oca ing o o malisa ion — o ensu e
sus ainabili y
mind hegeps.eu
Tools o gende -conscious eaching & inclusi e
lea ning en i onmen s
This b ie is o eache s, p og amme boa ds,
di ec o s o PhD s udies and schools, and
s uden ec ui men o ice s. By ollowing ou
ecommenda ions, you can con ibu e o he
p omo ion o gende -conscious eaching o a long-
e m e ec .
Ci e as: Żadkowska, Magdalena., Kosakowska-
Be ezecka, Na asza., Dziedzic, Ma a., Raszczyk,
Izabela., D ecun, Aleksand a., Jo ano ic, Kos a.,
T umic, Maja., & Sole a, C is ina. (2024) Teaching
wi h gende in mind: Tools o gende -conscious
eaching & inclusi e lea ning en i onmen s. Zenodo,
DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.13836843
Be o e — make su e you cou se includes a gende pe spec i e
• C i ically e alua e cou se ma e ials o ensu e hey encompass di e se gende pe spec i es and expe iences, o
os e an inclusi e lea ning en i onmen .
• Expand you oolki wi h al e na i e analy ical amewo ks ha go beyond adi ional male-cen ic iewpoin s,
enabling you o o e mo e inclusi e and nuanced pe spec i es wi hin you ield.
• In es in aining o e ine you communica ion s a egies, conside ing and espec ing gende di e ences o
p omo e inclusi e dialogue and unde s anding among bo h pee s and s uden s.
• Inco po a e ins uc ional me hods ha deepen awa eness o how gende in luences lea ning p ocesses and
p oblem-sol ing app oaches, c ea ing a suppo i e lea ning en i onmen ha ca e s o he needs o all s uden s.
• Add ess biases in you cou se con en by engaging in c i ical e lec ion o iden i y and add ess biases wi hin you
academic discipline, os e ing awa eness o how gende biases may mani es in esea ch, eaching ma e ials, and
socie al no ms.
• Iden i y gende inequali ies wi hin you subjec (s), by de eloping you abili y o ecognise and con on gende
inequali ies inhe en in you ield, demons a ing a commi men o p omo ing gende equi y and social jus ice
wi hin you academic pu sui s.
• Seek aining in how o use s a is ical me hods ha accoun o di e se gende expe iences, ensu ing you
esea ch and analysis accu a ely e lec he complexi ies o gende dynamics in a ious con ex s.
• Con inue o s ay up o da e wi h how gende is s udied in you ield and ecen indings. Fo ins ance, i
eaching his o y, acknowledge he oles o bo h women and men in his o ical e en s.
• Highligh gende dispa i ies and discuss he impac o he phenomenon o issue being s udied on bo h women
and men. Fo ins ance, in a sociology class s udying po e y, examine how i a ec s women and men di e en ly. Be
mind ul o he ac ha gende is no always bina y.
• Encou age s uden s o explo e di e se pe spec i es and me hodologies. Fo example, in a li e a u e cou se,
include wo ks by au ho s om di e en cul u al backg ounds and gende s.
• Acknowledge he con ibu ions o indi iduals o all gende s in you ield. Fo ins ance, in a physics class,
highligh he achie emen s o women scien is s h oughou his o y.
• Encou age di e si y in you class oom by conside ing cul u e, age, and gende when o ming s uden g oups. This
ensu es a ich and inclusi e lea ning en i onmen .
• Di e en ia e be ween gende and sex co ec ly. Gende e e s o socio-cul u al ac o s, while sex is biological.
Ensu e you language e lec s his di e ence.
• A pic u e says a housand wo ds. Make su e he images you use depic di e si y and do no ein o ce gende
s e eo ypes, especially in p o essions o ole. Fo example, show bo h men and women in leade ship posi ions in
business p esen a ions.
• Mind you language and use inclusi e e ms and choose empowe ing e minology.
Du ing — each wi h a gende lens
A e — e alua e s uden & eache pe spec i es
Include a s anda d sec ion (1-2 ques ions) in you cou se e alua ion o con i m gende sensi i i y o he cou se. Fo
example:
• How well does he cou se con en acknowledge gende conside a ions? (Ra e om 1 o 5)
• Does he ins uc o e ec i ely add ess gende - ela ed issues? (Ra e om 1 o 5)
• A e di e en opinions welcomed and discussed? (Ra e om 1 o 5)
• Does he ins uc o p esen a ious gende pe spec i es? (Ra e om 1 o 5)
• Is gende -neu al language used and encou aged in he cou se? (Ra e om 1 o 5)
This app oach ensu es a s aigh o wa d assessmen o gende sensi i i y wi hin cou ses, c ea ing an inclusi e lea ning
en i onmen .
Ad oca e o o malisa ion
Es ablishing o icial policies, p ocedu es and s uc u es wi hin esea ch o ganisa ions ha p omo e o ensu e sys ema ic
in eg a ion o gende , di e si y and inclusion in lea ning en i onmen s is cen al o ensu e ha gende equali y
measu es a e p io i ised, sus ained, and e ec i ely implemen ed. This helps elie e he p essu e om commi ed
indi iduals and ins ead shi esponsibili y o p omo ing social jus ice, equi y and academic excellence o he uni e si y
adminis a ion and managemen . Two ways o ensu ing sus ainabili y is upda ing syllabi and o e ing aining.
• A oid using gende ed e ms as uni e sal. Fo example, ins ead o saying ”mankind,” use ”humani y” o
”humankind.”
• Use language ha espec s indi iduals’ iden i ies and expe iences. Fo example, ins ead o saying ”su e ing
om Down Synd ome,” say ”li ing wi h Down Synd ome.”
• Be mind ul o language hie a chies and a oid a ou ing one gende o iden i y o e ano he . Fo example, use
” hey” as a singula p onoun o be inclusi e o all gende s.
• Re ain om using s e eo ypes o ein o cing gende no ms. Fo ins ance, ins ead o saying ”boys don’ c y,”
p omo e emo ional exp ession o all gende s.
• Use gende -neu al language when e e ing o indi iduals o unknown gende . Fo example, ins ead o saying
”he” as a de aul p onoun, use ” hey.”
• Re ain om using language ha in an ilises o diminishes indi iduals. Fo ins ance, ins ead o calling adul
women ”gi ls,” use ”women.”
Guidelines on how o use inclusi e language
mind hegeps.eu
MIND heGEPs (Modi ying Ins i u ions by De eloping Gende Equali y Plans) has ecei ed unding om he
Eu opean Union’s Ho izon 2020 esea ch and inno a ion p og amme unde g an ag eemen no 101006543.
The iews and opinions exp essed in his policy b ie he sole esponsibili y o he au ho s and do no necessa ily
e lec he iews o he Eu opean Commission.
© MIND heGEPs 2024.
This b ie was published unde a
C ea i e Commons 4.0 A ibu-
ions In e na ional license.
An unde s anding o gende inequali ies equips s uden s and esea che s o add ess hese issues in hei academic and
p o essional pu sui s. In eg a ing hese guidelines in o syllabi suppo s ins i u ional goals o p omo ing social jus ice and
equi y, os e ing inclusi e lea ning en i onmen s o all. By inco po a ing hese p inciples, educa ional p og ams can
empowe u u e gene a ions o ackle gende dispa i ies and d i e posi i e socie al change.
Gende -sensi i e skills de elopmen o s uden s should help hem de elop he skills needed o:
• Analyse om a gende pe spec i e.
• C i ically ead s anda d ex s and in o ma ion.
• U ilise a non-and ocen ic analy ical amewo k.
• Iden i y biases and unde s anding hei ideological ole.
• Recognise and add essing inequali ies be ween gende s and
among women.
• Iden i y gende inequali ies wi hin hei ield, especially conce ning
he sexual di ision o labou .
• Wo k wi h non-and ocen ic s a is ics.
• Analyse policies om a gende pe spec i e.
Teache s should be o e ed o pa icipa e in any aining on gende
equali y pe o med by hei o ganisa ion. This aining should be
ailo ed o he speci ic ole o he eache and hei ield. T aining
needs o be designed o be inclusi e, conside ing ac o s like enue,
iming, and p og am con en o accommoda e di e se pa icipan s.
The aining should co e biases and emphasise he impo ance o
ecognising and o e coming hem. I should also co e con lic and
di e si y managemen wi hin educa ional se ings. U ilising e ec i e
eaching me hods, he goal is o deepen unde s anding o how
gende cons uc s impac indi iduals and scien i ic de elopmen .
Real-li e examples and expe iences o s uden s can be used o
ensu e equal ep esen a ion o gende pe spec i es h oughou he
eaching. This app oach aims o p omo e equali y and inclusi i y in
educa ional en i onmen s.
Re e ence
Żadkowska, Magdalena., Kosakowska-Be ezecka, Na asza., Dziedzic, Ma a., Raszczyk, Izabela., D ecun,
Aleksand a., Jo ano ic, Kos a., T umic, Maja., & Sole a, C is ina. (2024). D6.1 – Guidelines on planned ac ions o
gende ing esea ch & eaching. Zenodo. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.10591738
Upda e syllabi o include gende -sensi i e compe ences
P o ide eache s wi h p ope di e si y & inclusion aining
