Lika kön leka bäst? : en historiskt jämförande genusperspektivsanalys på skolan då och nu

by Björck, Anne-Marie

By the end of the 19th-century a debate concerning a possibly co-educational school was rising. Strong voices argued in the subject of co-gender-schools, that girls should be able to have the same theoretical education as boys. These thoughts and voices were overthrown by arguments, for example, that girls should not stress their brains with theoretic studies. The gender-socialisation-process, however, did not succeed at that time, although the debate never really died out. The female gender was still strongly subordinated in both the society and in higher educations. In the 1940:s, the debate ones again rose, and this time even the government was listening. Times had changed, now the society was incorporated in what was called “the new democratic school”. However, this essay is about the arguments for- and against co-schools being, or not to be. The angle of which the material-sources are looked upon, is from a historical, comparing, gender- point of view. Professor Yvonne Hirdmans theory about how the roles of gender is processed in society is this essays theoretical frame. Hirdmans theories about gender roles have been used as a forward driving tool, with the purpose to see if any of the gender-patterns have changed in the two timetables. The result has then been attached to the 21st-centurys research about gender-equality, and if boys and girls should again be separated in the terms and arguments, such as, giving girls a bigger space so they can be themselves and to restore a more calm environment. These intentions may be the very best, although it seems as if we by separating boys and girls from each other in school-environments, only neglect the real deeper problems in fulfilling gender-equality, where the man still is the norm in society.