REPRESENTATIONS OF SEXISM IN HIGHER EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL TRAINING

Education and school play a fundamental role in the process of socialization of every human being, and, through it, beliefs and attitudes are transmitted where the role of the teaching staff as a transmitter of the same is verified. Among the beliefs and attitudes that teachers can transmit unconsciously are sexist ideas. This study wants to understand the representation among the students of Infant Education degree, Primary Education degree and Top Technician of Infant Education, because they are the future teacher-educator staff and, therefore, responsible for the transmission of ideas, beliefs and attitudes in the classroom. To undertake this investigation, 114 students from Infant Education, Primary Education and Higher Technician of Infant Education performed a free association task through the Grid Elaboration Method in order to collect the representations on sexism. To analyse the content of the exercise, a lexical analysis was performed using the Reinert method through the Iramuteq software. The most significant results show that these students represent sexism as a gender-based undervaluation, and that underestimation would occur equally in men and women. The study also includes sexist situations that students observe and experience, which are identified in the work and sports field, surprisingly excluding the educational field. Finally, we want to know the social repercussions of sexism. In this research, social discrimination against women is mentioned with clear references to the patriarchy. In addition, the lack of awareness of these students that sexism can also occur in the educational field and its implications are discussed.