Hypatia - Gender inclusion in science education

The Department of Science Education was part of the Horizon 2020-funded project Hypatia to ensure that principles of gender inclusivity were embedded in the activities of key science education organisations across Europe. These organisations included museums and science centres, schools, industry, and research institutions. Hypatia engaged 13-18 year old girls and boys.

The Department of Science Education has contributed the following deliverables to the project (which have all been reviewed by the project’s panel of experts). Contact Marianne Achiam if you want to see the documents:

D2.1 Criteria for Gender Inclusion
This document discusses the reasons STEM teaching and communication in Europe does not attract the required diversity of youth to science study programmes and careers. The authors develop a framework for how (gender) inclusion and exclusion can be understood, and describe a set of criteria for how gender inclusion can be built into new education activities or evaluated in existing ones.

D2.2 Good Practices on Gender Inclusion in STEM Communication
This document analyses 49 science education activities reported by the participants in Hypatia. The activities are analysed based on their scientific content, format, and target audience. The analysis identifies good practices for gender inclusion as well as areas for further development. The document includes an appendix with descriptions of all 49 activities.

D2.3 State of the Art on Gender in STEM
This document is a mapping of how gender is addressed in STEM education in 14 EU countries. The mapping is based on ninth grade curricula for physics and biology, and is informed by official guidelines for teachers and head teachers as well as EU publications and reports. The mapping shows that many European curricula reflect a perception of gender as binary. Collectively, the document indicates that there is more work to be done to make STEM education in Europe gender inclusive.

D2.4 How do institutions become gender inclusive? Institutional Guidelines
If gender inclusion is to become a part of an institution’s communication practice in a sustainable way, it is necessary to not just change those practices, but also to transform the institution itself. Such transformation must take place by addressing all levels: individual staff members, staff teams, and management. This document discusses how to initiate and maintain such transformation processes, and offers concrete examples from the institutions that participated in Hypatia.

Project group

Marianne Achiam (work package leader)
Henriette Holmegaard

Project period

08/2015 - 07/2018