GENDER AWARENESS AT THE UNIVERSITY: IS THERE A GENDER GAP?

The role of social constructions in shaping and representing the concepts of masculinity and femininity has been evidenced, in recent decades, by the feminist movements. Advances in this area, however, require significant improvements on awareness and commitment to equity both of men and of women. The aim of this study is to evaluate the existence of this in the case of the students of the Administration and Business and Political Science degrees at the University of Barcelona. To this end, awareness-raising activities were designed, and a questionnaire composed of 10 questions in which students had to show their perception regarding the position of women in certain social and economic contexts. The questionnaire was done twice: before and after the awareness-raising activity implemented in class with a delay of a month. It was answered by 201 students. The results show that, despite the progress made in the legal and administrative framework, there is a differential assessment regarding the role that women have in the economy and society on the perceptions of students. Women appear to be more sensitive to the role and importance of domestic and care activities, the existence of inequalities in women's access to and participation in the labour market, the gender differential effects of the crisis and the inequalities in their closest social network.