The role of the university in the fight against sexism and in the promotion of equality. A case study carried out at the University of Florence

The fact that we live in a patriarchal society is continually supported by the acts of violence that, on a daily basis, affect girls and women, putting a strain on their lives both within and outside the familiar environment (Terre des hommes, 2023). Gender-based violence is the result of a culture and a social system still characterised by an imbalance of power between men and women, by asymmetries that creep into human relationships through the ideas and the words normally used by people in their communication and in their public and personal relations (EIGE, 2023). According to the provisional May-June 2023 data concerning gender stereotypes and the social image of sexual violence collected by the Italian National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT), among the respondents «48,7% still have at least a stereotype about sexual violence. 39,3% of men think that women can avoid a sexual intercourse if they really want to and almost 20% think that violence is caused by the way women dress». Unfortunately, false beliefs of this sort circulate everywhere, affecting not only formal and informal situations, but also those places that are responsible for the education of new generations, like schools and universities. This paper aims at analysing the role of universities in the promotion of gender equality and respect, considering the opinions that young people have about the gender policy, the training actions and the services provided in the university environment. Our reflections are based on an exploratory empirical research conducted by the University of Florence, in which 390 students participated on a voluntary basis. The majority of them are studying for a bachelor’s degree in Humanities or Education. Even though they cannot be generalised, results show that students are quite satisfied by the attention that their professors and their courses of study pay to gender issues, while they are less informed about the policies, the positive actions and the services regarding these questions that are promoted by the University at a more general level.

Keywords: ; Patriarchy; Sexism; Gender violence; Educational contexts; Equal opportunities

Francesca Dello Preite, Dalila Forni, Il ruolo dell’università per il contrasto delle discriminazioni sessiste e la promozione della parità. Uno studio di caso presso l’Ateneo fiorentino in "EDUCATIONAL REFLECTIVE PRACTICES" 1/2024, pp 75-91, DOI: 10.3280/erp1-2024oa18290