Grey literature on education.
Date: 2019-12-20
Institutions: European Institute for Gender Equality
Subjects: European Institute for Gender Equality, access to information, education policy, gender equality, gender mainstreaming, grey literature, library, participation of women

Resource and Documentation Centre

Grey literature on education

What  is  grey  literature?  It  is  literature  produced  by 
non-commercial  publishers,  such  as  public  institu-
tions,  universities,  research  institutes  and  civil  soci-
ety.  It  contains  a  lot  of  useful  content,  but  is  often 
hard  to  find  as  it  is  scattered  across  different  loca-

tions.  EIGE  has  collected  grey  literature  on  gender 
equality  and  you  can  access  our  collection  through 
a  simple  search  interface.  EIGE’s  collection  of  grey 
literature  is  available  in  several  EU  languages  and 
documents come from all EU Member States.

The relevance of gender in education

Education  is  a  catalyst  for  social  change  and  ne­
cessary  to  build  societies  that  respect  human  rights. 
Education  is  needed  to  give  women  and  men  the 
skills  to  secure  steady,  well­paid  jobs  to  avoid  social 
exclusion.  Gender  equality  in  education  is  focused 
on  gender-based  choices  across  study  fields,  gender 
stereotypes  and  gender  differences  in  educational 
achievements.

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Grey literature in EIGE’s library

EIGE’s  library  hosts  one  of  the  largest  collections  on 
gender­related  literature  related  to  education.  The  col­
lection  presents  good  practices  of  current  policies 
throughout Europe as well as gender indicators aimed 
at  assessing  gender  equality  in  education.  Several  re­

sources  focus  on  the  ways  in  which  the  EU  has  main­
streamed  gender  into  policy  processes  for  education. 
You will also find research reports and statistical doc-
uments  providing  data  on  key  gender  issues  related  to 
education.

Gender differences in study fields and educational attainments

Different  choices  across  study  fields  between  women 
and  men  are  a  key  component  of  gender  differences 
in education patterns in the EU­28.

These  show  that  girls  outperform  boys  in  literacy 
across all Member States, and that boys have increasing 
problems in terms of educational attainment.

Within  the  library  you  will  find  resources  showing  how 
women  are  under-represented  in  certain  fields  of  study 
and  over­represented  in  others.  In  science,  technology, 
engineering  or  mathematics  (STEM)  fields,  men  domin-
ate.  In  the  social  sciences  and  humanities,  women  are 
much  more  present.  One  of  the  reasons  for  this  is  the 
persistent  labelling  of  study  areas  and  work  as  ei­
ther  ‘feminine’  or  ‘masculine’.  Within  the  library  you  will 
find resources explaining how young people are expect-
ed  to  choose  subjects  that  match  their  identities  as 
women  or  men.  You  will  also  find  resources  highlight­
ing that gender segregation in the labour market is 
a  result  of  different  educational  and  professional 
choices in school and university.

The  library  also  includes  several  resources  focusing  on 
gender  differences  in  educational  performance. 

Reading list

‘Gender Differences in Education’;

‘Gender  differences  in  the  formation  of  a  field  of 
study choice set’;

‘Gender  segregation  in  occupational  expectations 
and in the labour market: international variation and 
the role of education and training systems’;

‘Gender  gaps  in  PISA  test  scores:  the  impact  of  so­
cial  norms  and  the  mother’s  transmission  of  role  at­
titudes’;

Boys and school: a background paper on the ‘boy crisis’.

 
Achieving gender equality through education

Gender  equality  in  education  can  also  be  achieved 
through adapting national school curricula with a gen­
der  perspective  in  mind.  This  can  include  modules  on 
women’s  sexual  and  reproductive  rights,  for  example. 
Textbooks and other teaching materials should also be 
modified to eliminate gender bias. Within the library, you 
will find several resources tackling these issues.

Besides  the  development  of  gender­sensitive  teaching 
materials, gender-responsive teaching is also crucial. In 
the  library  you  will  find  toolkits  and  practical  guidelines 
that outline how to promote gender equality through edu­
cation.

Reading list

‘Pedagogy  and  student  change  in  the  women’s  and 
gender studies classroom’;

Guidelines  on  Human  Rights  Education  —  For  human 
rights activists;

Guidelines  on  Sexuality  and  Relationships  Education  in 
Maltese Schools;

Sexes  &  Manuels  —  Promouvoir  l’égalité  dans  les  ma-
nuels scolaires;

Online  training  courses:  ‘coeducation  —  two  sexes  in 
one world’: Gender training in education, Portugal, 18­
19 October 2012: discussion paper.

Education and gender-based violence

Gender­based  violence  also  happens  at  school.  Within 
the library, you will find several resources outlining ways 
to  combat  and  prevent  gender-based  violence  in  an 
educational  setting.  Library  resources  provide  practical 
examples and recommendations, as well as toolkits for 
teachers.

A bulk of resources also deal with bullying, where there 
are also gender differences among perpetrators and vic­
tims.

Reading list

Effective  responses  for  gender-based  violence:  gen-
der-based violence in schools;

Updated ETUCE action plan on: preventing and tackling 
violence in schools;

Teaching  Against  Violence  Reassessing  the  Toolbox  — 
Teaching  with  gender.  European  women’s  studies  in  in-
ternational and interdisciplinary classrooms;

‘Gender, bullying, victimization, and education‘.

About EIGE

The European Institute for Gender Equality is the EU knowledge centre on gender equality. EIGE sup­
ports policymakers and all relevant institutions in their efforts to make equality between women and 
men a reality for all Europeans and beyond, by providing them with specific expertise and comparable 
and reliable information on gender equality in Europe. With over 800 000 items, EIGE’s Resource and 
Documentation Centre is a one­stop shop for gender knowledge. Access our collection of policy docu­
ments, books, articles, studies, specialised databases and more at www.eige.europa.eu
© European Institute for Gender Equality, 2019

Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged.

Contact details

http://eige.europa.eu/
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twitter.com/eurogender
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ISBN 978­92­9482­192­8  doi:10.2839/67523  MH­01­19­242­EN­C
ISBN 978­92­9482­191­1  doi:10.2839/584262  MH­01­19­242­EN­N

European Institutefor Gender EqualityGrey literature on education