ABSTRACT
The Nordic countries are famous for being at the forefront when it comes to gender equality. The school has played an important role in this; since 1974, the Norwegian curriculum has stated that schools should promote gender equality. Previously portrayed as an ambition to correct unwanted bias towards girls, recent times have witnessed an increased concern for boys. In 2017, a national committee was appointed to investigate the significance of gender disparities for students’ school results. However, critics argued that instead of promoting gender equality, the committee contributed to reinforcing an abandoned dualistic view of gender and to steering the school further away from its overall ideals of equality and social equalization. Moreover, at the same time, a revised curriculum placed less emphasis on gender and more on diversity and difference.
What could be the background for these different views? To what extent do they testify to an ongoing renegotiation of what society considers the school’s responsibilities related to gender, equality, and education? Through a conceptual history and a critical analysis, this chapter discusses one key aspect of the Nordic education model, namely, the ambition that the school should promote gender equality—or likestilling—as an educational ideal.
