Abstract:

Gender equality is understood as a balance in opportunities for and representation of males and females in every area of life in society, and its importance has positioned it as one of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, the category gender has been associated throughout the time with the work focused on women mostly, while very little attention has been given to the male perspective. A similar approach has been observed in the integration of gender equality within the higher education arena. The present study provides an overview of the inclusion of gender equality plans as part of higher education in two countries geographically apart, politically, and culturally different: one from the Latin American context and the other from the European one. The main objective is to critically analyze the insertion of gender equality within the tertiary educational systems of Cuba and Romania. The study has been conducted by implementing a mixed analysis of secondary data, primarily using a qualitative approach for document analysis of bibliographic sources regarding the various ways through which the topic of gender equality has been made visible within the higher education systems of Cuba and Romania. Furthermore, a quantitative analysis has been implemented by the collection of existing statistical data and percentage calculation to explain gender parity in higher education enrollment in both countries. In addition, the technique of focus group has been applied in order to analyze the opinions of Cuban and Romanian university students regarding the topic of gender equality and its insertion in the tertiary system, including an equal number of male and female respondents. The analysis of the results reveals that even though both countries have implemented plans to integrate gender equality into academia in the last decades, it would be necessary to start evaluating new approaches in which gender itself is upgraded to a teaching and research level within higher education, as well as widening its conception to a broader and truly more gender – equal one. The mentioned results represent a solid foundation to continue the studies that reinforce the importance of integrating the topic of gender equality within the university processes in order to guarantee a more egalitarian society for men, women and children.

Keywords:

Gender equality, gender equality plans, higher education policies, Cuba, Romania.