Welcome to this edition of Researching education: 5 further readings. In this series, we take a look at some further readings available on a particular topic, including open access research papers from various online catalogues, and Teacher archive content you might not have come across yet.
Earlier this week, the world celebrated International Women's Day. The global day celebrates the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The theme for 2026 is #GiveToGain – encouraging generosity and collaboration and emphasising the power of reciprocity and support.
The day is also an important call to action for advancing gender equality. In this edition of 5 further readings, we're looking at the topic of gender equity in education. In the list below, you can read an OECD paper that outlines global gender disparities in education, but also the progress made over the past 2 decades, read about specific activities that generate confidence in female students, and explore study findings on gender equity in picture books read in early childhood classrooms.
- Gender, education and skills: The persistence of gender gaps in education and skills. Using data from the Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC), the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), and Education at a Glance, this paper from the OECD highlights the progress many countries have made over the past 2 decades in closing the gender gap in education access and learning outcomes between girls and boys. It also shines a light on the gender disparities across the world that are still apparent in education at different points: at the end of compulsory education, in tertiary education, and entry into the workforce.
- Complexities of Programming for Gender Equity in Outside School Hours Care.
Thinking about your school’s gender equity initiatives, do these extend to school-based programs such as your Outside School Hours Care (OSHC)? This research aimed to better understand how OSHC educators think about gender equity and some of the ways they attend to gender equity in the planning and delivery of programs. Findings show some educators created activities and policies related to gender equity, and others desired support in the area.
- Hands up for gender equality: A major study into confidence and career intentions of adolescent girls and boys. Inspired by the lack of female CEOs in listed public companies in Australia, this paper analyses and reports upon the results of surveys conducted with 10,076 students at single-sex schools to measure how boys and girls differ in confidence and career intentions. Findings include specific activities that generate confidence – for example, participation in team sport and leadership development.
- Gender and schooling in Australia. In this collection of papers from the Australian Educational Researcher journal, you can read about how gender stereotypes can be present in schools, and how these stereotypes can impact students. The collection of papers also offers insights into the critical and creative ways that young people are seeking more equitable educational experiences and outcomes.
- Gender equity in early childhood picture books: a cross-cultural study of frequently read picture books in early childhood classrooms in Australia and the United States. As an early years’ educator, do you have a diverse collection of picture books available in your classroom? This study investigated gender representation in frequently read picture books in 2 settings – Australia and the United States. Findings show the majority of books promoted traditional, binary and stereotypical viewpoints of gender and gender roles. The authors conclude that while it’s impractical to remove all books containing stereotypes, educators can support children to engage critically with this material and to carefully evaluate books to identify stereotypes.
Some of the resources featured in this article can be found through Cunningham Library Catalogue and EdResearch Online. At the links below, you can search for more resources on the topic of learning spaces in these 2 online databases.
You can also browse other education topics at this page.
