Gênero e sindicalismo docente: uma análise da produção acadêmica na pós-graduação

Abstract

The concept of gender is found in a field of tensions and academic conflicts, with a range of theoretical-methodological support. Therefore, this study investigates the trends concerning the use of gender in the field of teachers’ trade unions. The purpose was to analyze how the concept of gender has been used in research on teachers’ trade union organization, carried out in the scope of post graduation programs at Brazilian universities. In order to do so we focused on: examining which theoretical references concerning gender supported the studies; analyzing the definition of the concept. The methodology consisted of a survey of the dissertations and thesis, produced between 1987 to 2011, with abstracts published in the Thesis Data Bank from CAPES (Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel). The production analyzed consisted of a group of eight works, which had in their abstract the key-word gender and expressions referring to a teachers’ trade union. The texts, fully read, revealed to be based on a reference, i.e. the use of gender according to Joan Scott’s (1990). In some cases, gender was used as a category of analysis, in which we looked for the male and female meanings found in the collective organization of teachers. However, the trend of most research works was the use of the concept regarding gender inequalities, with emphasis on women, which involved considering the woman in the teachers’ union. Regardless of the use of gender detected in the research works, they point out to a predominantly masculine trade union, in which the women are not satisfactorily considered in their singularities concerning political and trade union activities. It is believed that this investigation will contribute for the reflections on gender relationships in the trade union of teachers, mainly about the potential of the gender as an analytic tool for the interpretation of trade union phenomena involving teachers category.