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Rectors Alejandra Mizala and Solange Tenorio gave the welcoming remarks at the seminar organized by the CRUCH Gender Equality Commission, which brought together authorities, academic and curricular management teams, representatives of gender units, teachers and students.
At the close of the meeting, the next challenges were identified: to continue the training, to incorporate the gender perspective into educational models that do not yet include it and to integrate it into the study plans, graduation profiles and curricular activities, with the participation of the teaching teams.
The integration of the gender perspective into educational models, curricula, teaching and learning practices, and teacher evaluation was the focus of discussion at the III Seminar “Gender in the classroom: How do we continue to incorporate the gender approach into the university curriculum and teaching practice?”, organized by the Gender Equality Commission of the Council of Rectors of Chilean Universities (CRUCH), through its Training Axis.
The meeting took place on October 8 in the Eloísa Díaz Hall of the Central House of the University of Chile and brought together authorities, academic and curricular management teams, representatives of gender units, teachers and students from the universities of the Council and other higher education institutions.
The day began with speeches by the rector of the University of Chile, Alejandra Mizala; the rector of the Metropolitan University of Educational Sciences and new head of the CRUCH Gender Equality Commission, Solange Tenorio; and the member of the Training Axis and coordinator of the Observatory of Violence and Gender Equality of the University of Chile, Antonia Santos.
In her welcoming remarks, Mizala highlighted the value of the question that gave the seminar its title, because "it expresses that there is a path traveled by our universities, but also that we are facing a task that is far from being completed.".
The rector pointed out that progress requires integrating a gender perspective into curriculum design, the training and support of faculty, and teaching and learning methodologies. She also emphasized the importance of collaboration among institutions, noting that “effective change takes time, requires continuity, evaluation, institutional learning, and, above all, a willingness to review our own practices.”.
For her part, Rector Tenorio emphasized the symbolism of meeting in the Eloísa Díaz Hall, since “the history of women in education, and particularly in higher education, is forged by women like Dr. Eloísa Díaz, who paved the way, set an example, and transformed their institutions from within.”.
She also noted that “as universities belonging to the Council of Rectors, we have committed to a valuable and substantive agenda.” To advance this agenda, she emphasized the need to strengthen coordination among gender units, academic vice-rectorates, curriculum teams, faculties, and departments, so that “this commitment can be reflected in the concrete experiences of those who study, teach, and conduct research at our institutions.”.
Meanwhile, Antonia Santos reviewed the history and objectives of the seminars. She explained that in 2024, the focus was on experiences incorporating a gender perspective into university education, while in 2025, the discussion centered on the institutional conditions necessary to promote and sustain these processes and their relationship to quality assurance. “This year, we want to situate the conversation around the curriculum and teaching practice,” she noted.
Rethinking teaching
In this third edition of the seminar, Carolina Muñoz, a researcher at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, opened the discussion on the possibilities of transforming university teaching with the inaugural talk “Mainstreaming or transforming?: Pedagogical keys to rethinking university teaching from feminist, diversity and gender perspectives.”.
Muñoz raised the need to move from “mainstreaming the gender perspective, sometimes as a strategy seen as an end in itself, towards some elements to transform
university pedagogical practices.” In that sense, he proposed understanding “pedagogies from their relational dimension, from the encounter between teachers and students, from discomfort, from questioning, not only of traditional gender relations, but also of heteronormative, sexist, racist frameworks that may exist.”.
Subsequently, the participants worked in groups to identify progress, critical issues, and challenges in gender-sensitive training, as well as to share methodologies and practices for its incorporation into curriculum design, implementation, and evaluation. The main points were then discussed in a plenary session.
Articulation between academic areas and gender units
During the afternoon, the panel “Identification of knots and proposals in curriculum development with a gender perspective” took place, which brought together different views on the challenges of incorporating this approach into university education.
This event included the participation of Sandra Gaete, President of the Commission of Academic Vice-Rectors of the CRUCH (Council of Rectors of Chilean Universities) and Academic Vice-Rector of the Metropolitan Technological University; Sandra González, Director of Teaching at the Catholic University of the Most Holy Conception; Jennifer Jones, Director of Undergraduate Studies at the Federico Santa María Technical University; Ivonne Tapia, Head of the Curriculum Innovation Unit at the Metropolitan Technological University; and Mariana Gaba, Director of Gender Studies at Diego Portales University. The discussion was moderated by Yésika Herrera, and Diana Kiss summarized the conversation; both are members of the Training Axis.
According to Kiss, three points were central to the discussion. The first was the need to coordinate the work of gender equality offices with teaching and curriculum development units. The second was the importance of promoting dialogue about how to understand and construct knowledge in all areas of education.
The third point was the incorporation of a gender perspective into faculty evaluation and academic career development, identifying areas for improvement and how the university recognizes the efforts of those who meet the standards. On this point, she emphasized the importance of assessing how the institution “recognizes good teaching and good research.”.
Key findings and upcoming challenges
The day concluded with speeches by Carmen Andrade, Director of Gender Equality at the University of Chile, and Angélica Marín, Coordinator of the Training Axis of the Commission.
In her assessment, Marín emphasized the need to continue training strategies for those involved in incorporating a gender perspective into educational programs. She also noted that universities that have not yet integrated this approach must move forward with its inclusion in educational models, guides, and teaching manuals. Furthermore, she stressed that this task must be carried out with the participation of classroom teachers, taking into account the complexity of the curriculum.
“More than half of the universities that make up CRUCH have incorporated gender equality into their educational models,” she stated. She clarified that, while this strategic focus on education is present in the equality policies of all universities, there is still a need for “more technical, more operational translation into educational models, curricula, graduate profiles, and the curricular activity programs themselves. We must continue to make progress in this area,” she concluded.
Text: CRUCH Communications
Photographs: Amanda Aravena Letelier, UMCE
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