Gender equality and Curriculum 2005

Abstract

This paper looks first at policy for gender equality in South African education and argues that despite the monumental work of the Gender Equity Task Team in 1996, and commitments by the national department in this regard, policy for the achievement of gender equity is not supported by authority or resources. What exists is the inscription of gender within broader policy frameworks and legislation. At the level of policy, gender appears as mainly symbolic: there are no regulations or procedures with legislative force to achieve gender equity. The paper then uses a seven point framework provided by Truscott for transforming curriculum to evaluate gender equality and the curriculum. It argues that a rights-based approach was infused through the curriculum and informed the overall approach to gender