“Por que você não escolheu engenharia?”: limites, barreiras, desafios e oportunidades para homens na Pedagogia

Abstract

In accordance with current national and international regulatory frameworks, everyone has the right to quality education and gender equality, in line with our 1988 Constitution and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 4 and 5, respectively. Quality education is guided by inclusion, diversity, and equity, and the SDGs must be achieved by all signatory countries by 2030. In this context, data from the 2023 Higher Education Census, conducted by the Anísio Teixeira National Institute for Educational Studies and Research (INEP), covering the 2018–2022 period, reveal that male enrollment in Teacher Education (Pedagogy) programs has hovered around 7.9%, with the field remaining feminized within the context of the traditional gender division of knowledge and labor. Thus, we are lagging behind in achieving the UN’s SDG 5. In light of this, the present study aims to highlight the limitations, barriers, challenges, and opportunities for men in Teacher Education, with the goal of contributing to broader discussions on gender inclusion in preschool and elementary school. To this end, the following specific objectives were established: a) to review the literature on male representation in the Teacher Education (Pedagogy) program; b) to outline the academic profile of undergraduate students in the Teacher Education (Pedagogy) program at UFPB Campus I, with a focus on male students; c) to investigate and list the challenges and barriers experienced by male students during the Teacher Education (Pedagogy) program at UFPB Campus I; d) to discuss opportunities for men in Education. Thus, a qualitative research approach was adopted, involving focus group three sessions with seven male students completing the program, facilitating discussion and reflection among participants on the issue of the gender exclusion of men, in addition to a specific literature review on men in early and elementary education. The results reveal the existence of various barriers to their active participation in university life and in mandatory internships, primarily related to the female-dominated environment. They note that they have experienced situations of discrimination, prejudice, alienation, and surprise, as well as instances of surveillance, stigmatization, and embarrassment related to their gender—a reflection of a social structure in which prejudice regarding gender roles remains entrenched. Given this context, suggestions are offered to encourage more men to enter and remain in the field. Furthermore, this research aims to contribute to the discussion regarding the inclusion of men in the educational field and, subsequently, in the workplace.