Perceptions of Peruvian Catholic School Teachers Regarding the Integration of the Gender Equality Approach in the National Basic Education Curriculum (CNEB)

The gender approach, also known as gender perspective, provides an analytical framework for examining the opportunities, difficulties and capabilities of men and women in society. In Peruvian education, this approach is integrated as a cross-cutting perspective in the National Basic Education Curriculum (CNEB), highlighting the importance of promoting gender equality at all educational levels. The objective of this qualitative research was to gather the perceptions and experiences of teachers from Catholic schools in Peru with respect to the implementation of the gender approach in the CNEB and in their own teaching practice. For this purpose, semi-structured interviews were conducted, and a subsequent analysis based on grounded theory was carried out. Among the results obtained, it was observed that most of the interviewees incorporate the gender approach in their teaching. However, many teachers have a misconception about what the gender approach entails and, therefore, they apply it based on their own criteria, which does not align with the genuine principles and objectives of the gender approach, resulting in practices that do not promote equality or gender equity. In addition, some teachers pointed out as a challenge present in their practice the misrepresentation of the objective of the approach in the CNEB by parents. Furthermore, no significant relationship was found between religious schools and the perceptions of the teachers interviewed. This study suggests new lines of research related to teacher training on gender equality and the possible impacts on student achievement.