Foreword

Abstract

In the past decades, the discussion of gender inequality in education has been developed, becoming part of the research and political agenda of democratic countries. New understandings and insights emerged. Nevertheless, equality of opportunities respecting gender has not been achieved, especially if we consider as an important goal to overcome a «citizenship of subalternity» (Araújo, 2007: 164). Together with the invisibility of women in the official curricula and gender stereotypes in textbooks, with the superficial discussions about girls’ school achievement and boys’ school disaffection, or with difficulties endured by women teachers to have access to decision making positions within the school structure, there is an awareness about the transversality of gender equality in education. We can find new challenges played by gender issues in new contexts and phenomena as violence in school, multiple inequalities or intercultural and migrant topics. To discuss if gender still matters in education is a slightly ironic and unavoidable question to which this special issue of Educação, Sociedade & Culturas tries to answer.