Crossing paths: Education and gender in academic production

Abstract

The article discusses the contemporary Brazilian academic production on education and gender (or women) from the analysis of three sources: the 1981-1998 database of theses and dissertations of graduate programs affiliated to ANPEd (Brazilian Research Association in Education), the researchers directory Quern pesquisa o que em Educação: 1998, [Who researches what in Education: 1998] and six collections of specialized journals in Education and Feminist Studies (gender). The analysis of ANPEd's 1999 catalog makes clear an increase in the absolute number of theses/dissertations in that period, a concentration of works from some universities, and a largely feminine authorship and supervision. The same profile is broadly confirmed by the data of researchers included in ANPEd's directory. With respect to the themes of work, dispersion and a relative absence of issues of the contemporary educational agenda can be noticed. Theses and dissertations tend to focus on the feminine condition rather than on a gender perspective of the education system. This feature was also noted in specialized journals in Education. In their turn, feminist periodicals dedicate little space to the theme and subject of Education. Hence, the crossing paths of Education and Women or Gender Studies. The paper concludes by highlighting the possible detrimental effects of such academic frailty on the level of current proposals about gender equality in education.