Abstract
In this thesis, I explore whether feminist critique of science can shed new light on how gender equity in science education can be achieved. Drawing on feminist theory, I develop a theoretical framework that I use to analyse how two science education initiatives work towards increased gender equity in science education in sub-Saharan Africa. All studies and initiatives addressing gender issues in science education reflect perceptions of how sex/gender1 impacts pupils’ engagement in scientific inquiry. These perspectives are, however, seldom made explicit. In this thesis I make use of feminist critique of science to explore alternative understandings of how sex/gender can be seen to impact on peoples’ engagement in science inquiry. I use this discourse as a point of departure to discuss different understandings of how sex/gender can be seen to impact on pupils’ approach to science education. I suggest that different understandings of what impact sex/gender have on pupils’ engagement in science education may imply different approaches for
initiatives aiming at increased gender equity in science education. Drawing on feminist theory, I develop an analytical framework that suggests three different approaches to gender equity in science education, each grounded in a distinct understanding of how sex/gender impacts on engagement in science and science education. I use the analytical framework developed from feminist critiques of science to analyse how two science education initiatives work towards increased gender equity in science education in sub-Saharan
Africa. My analysis shows that the two initiatives reflect two distinct understandings of how sex/gender impacts on pupils’ engagement in science education and of how gender inequity in science education should best be approached. Although none of the initiatives were influenced by feminist theories and critiques of science, this study suggests that this discourse can still be used to analyse such initiatives from a new perspective.