Introducción: A pesar de los esfuerzos para mejorar la calidad de la educación, la incorporación de la perspectiva de género (PG) en la formación inicial docente sigue estando ausente de los planes de estudio e ideario de las facultades de educación. Esta falta de atención al principio de igualdad representa una auténtica barrera para el logro de los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible (Naciones Unidas, 2015) y para el desarrollo de una educación sensible al género. El propósito de este estudio fue explorar el grado de implementación del enfoque de género en la formación inicial de docentes desde la perspectiva del alumnado. Método: Con este fin (1) se diseñó y validó la escala de Evaluación Sensible a la Formación en Igualdad de Género (ESFIG) y (2) se administró a 601 docentes en formación de grado y máster (72% mujeres y 28% varones), edad media 24.31 años, de una universidad pública española. Resultados: Los resultados indicaron que (1) la ESFIG es un instrumento válido y adecuado para medir el grado de incorporación de la PG en la formación docente y (2) que los participantes perciben (a) la sensibilidad del centro a la implementación de la política de género de neutral e indiferente y (b) la preparación en género muy importante y necesaria para su formación; sin embargo, muestran una baja y poco realista percepción de la conciencia de desigualdades asociadas al género en los procesos de enseñanza-aprendizaje. Se hallaron diferencias estadísticamente significativas en las respuestas de los participantes en función de la titulación y el género. Discusión: Los resultados sustentan la utilidad de la ESFIG para su uso como un indicador del grado de incorporación de la PG en la docencia universitaria, así como un instrumento apto para identificar áreas de necesidad, orientar y evaluar el impacto de posibles acciones e intervenciones.

Teachers’ perceived efficacy of their ability to teach using a gender approach is key for future generations to become more gender-sensitive and respectful towards gender inequities. However, little is known about graduate training for gender-responsive STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) teaching. In this study, after exploring the measurement invariance across countries (Greece and Spain) and sexes (male and female) of the TEGEP (Teacher Self-Efficacy for Gender Equality Practice) scale, a total of 222 prospective secondary school STEM teachers (136 Greek, 86 Spanish) from seven public universities were surveyed. Results showed that (1) the TEGEP has acceptable measurement invariance across countries and among sexes allowing comparison between groups and (2) that Greek and Spanish STEM students finish their master studies without sufficient confidence in gender knowledge, skills, and attitudes to practice a gender-sensitive teaching. The ability to teach gender knowledge was significantly higher in Greek than in Spanish students (4.52 vs. 4.03), while the latter felt more competent than the Greek students in conveying values/attitudes in regard to gender (4.54 vs. 4.83). The study calls for reflection, and considering that gender mainstreaming in STEM is anecdotal and not aligned with existing curricula, seeks to raise awareness and institutional compromise in implementing a gender-responsive approach in STEM. The TEGEP could be utilized to assess and monitor the gender competencies required of graduates in order to provide a more equitable and gender-sensitive STEM education in Greece and Spain.

Higher education attainment is a focus of gender differences research. However, little is known about differences in university students’ major choices at the same level of higher education in China’s education hierarchy. Based on a web survey of 1164 undergraduate students in China’s broad enrollment context, this study uses Wenjuanxing to collect information by posting questionnaires on social media platforms and analyzes the impact of gender differences on the major choices of finance and economics undergraduates by using the Linear Discriminant Model (LDM). Moreover, this study explores the differential impact of income level, urban–rural settings, and regional differences on university students’ major choices. This study finds that female students are approximately 2.62 times more likely than male students to choose applied majors (such as accounting, financial management, auditing, international business, and so on), a gap that is more pronounced in high-income families and Eastern regions. In addition, in rural areas, female students have a higher probability of choosing applied majors than male students. These findings indicate that in China’s broad discipline enrollment model, gender differences still significantly affect students’ major choices, and female students are more likely to enter applied majors than their male counterparts.

Introduction: Gender equality in education remains a global priority and a key component of sustainable development. However, its integration into teacher education programs is still inconsistent. The absence of gender-responsive education constitutes a major barrier to achieving gender equality. This study investigates the extent to which gender-responsive pedagogy is incorporated into teacher education at the University of Alicante, with a focus on the teaching content and methods employed by faculty and their impact on pre-service teachers’ self-efficacy for gender-responsive practice.Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted with 161 pre-service teachers at the University of Alicante. Data were collected using validated scales measuring gender-responsive teaching and teacher efficacy for gender equality practice.Results: Findings revealed that gender-related topics are only moderately integrated into coursework, with content primarily focused on gender-based violence and equal opportunities, while foundational gender concepts receive little attention. Teaching methods largely rely on traditional approaches, such as lectures and project-based learning, rather than interactive or inquiry-based strategies. Pre-service teachers who had received gender training reported higher perceived self-efficacy in gender pedagogy; however, no statistically significant differences were observed in overall competence levels.Discussion: The results point to a limited institutional commitment to gender mainstreaming in teacher education and underscore the need for comprehensive reforms, including curriculum revision, faculty training, and stronger institutional accountability to advance meaningful gender equality in education.

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development calls for quality, inclusive education for all through Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4). Given the central role of teachers in achieving this goal, this study examined (1) whether pre-service elementary teachers develop self-efficacy for inclusive teaching by graduation and (2) whether self-efficacy varies according to the type of teacher education program (general vs. dual) and the opportunities provided to learn inclusive teaching strategies. Using a non-experimental, cross-sectional comparative design, we surveyed 330 pre-service elementary teachers in the United States and Spain, enrolled in two distinct teacher education pathways. Participants completed the Teacher Self-Efficacy for Inclusive Practice (TEIP) and Opportunity to Learn to Teach Inclusively (OLTI) scales. Results revealed moderate levels of self-efficacy for inclusive teaching overall. Spanish participants in general teacher education programs reported significantly lower self-efficacy than U.S. participants in dual certification programs. Regardless of program type, those with greater opportunities to learn inclusive teaching strategies reported significantly higher self-efficacy. Notably, opportunity to learn was found to moderate the relationship between program type and self-efficacy. These findings highlight the critical role of practice-based opportunities in developing teachers’ confidence in inclusive education. Embedding such opportunities in teacher preparation is essential for advancing sustainable, inclusive education systems worldwide.

Western European countries have made impressive gender equality (GE) progress in education during the last few decades. Unfortunately, the implementation of gender mainstreaming (GM) in higher education has not been satisfactory. This paper describes a survey-based research study designed to explore student teachers’ perceptions of training for GE in teacher education (TE) using the Sensitive Assessment for Gender Equality (SAGE) index. The study firstly aims to analyse the factor invariance across degree of the SAGE and secondly tries to describe the status of GM implementation in teacher education programmes from students’ perspectives. Data were collected from 398 student teachers (84% female) aged 21.44, enrolled on two TE programmes from a public higher education institution in the Autonomous Region of Valencia (Spain). Using single and multi-group CFA the study revealed that the proposed three-factor structure of the SAGE fitted well to early childhood and elementary school student teachers’ data, thus suggesting equivalence between its components in both samples. Early childhood students scored significantly higher than elementary school student teachers in their reported perceptions of gender equality training and awareness of gender inequalities. Results will be displayed in terms of identifying institutional and curricular needs for GE education practices as findings reveal a clear demand for change.