‘History cannot be understood without women’: Feminist teachers’ representations of women’s history in primary and secondary education in Spain

Abstract

This study examines the perspectives of in-service teachers in Spain on the integration of women’s history in the formal education curriculum. The data were collected from a general invitation extended to primary and secondary education history teachers. However, the respondents to the questionnaire were 88 teachers who self-identified as feminists. The participants were invited to complete a free word association exercise regarding the possibility of integrating women’s history in their classes. The lexical content of their narratives was analysed using the Reinert method. The results demonstrate that teachers express criticism of the existing history curriculum, citing the absence of content about women in textbooks and advocating for their inclusion in history classes. The respondents recognized the challenges of acknowledging the role of women in different epochs and the need to create female historical references and break with traditional gender stereotypes. It can be concluded that there is a presence of critical awareness and a favourable attitude towards the introduction of content linked to women’s history, and that teachers tend to agree with the arguments presented in the scientific literature of recent decades.