Policy and Practice in Finland: Teachers’ and Study Counsellors’ Gender-Stereotyped Perceptions

Gender equality has been a topic of interest for decades in research and policy documents in Finland. However, the gender gap in education remains unsolved. Recently, measures have been taken to strengthen boys’ learning, since girls outperform them in education. However, the educational aspirations still show the same gender gap that has been prevalent for decades. The aim of this study was to explore how teachers and study counsellors in upper secondary schools perceive their students’ self-belief, study habits and behaviour to understand why the gender gap is deeply entrenched despite all efforts to narrow it. We examined policy documents concerning upper secondary schools and gender issues and conducted 23 semi-structured interviews. The results revealed that teachers and study counsellors perceived low self-belief and high achievement expectations among girls, which they thought affected girls’ academic performance negatively. Boys, however, were perceived to be more self-confident, yet quite indifferent about school achievements. While girls’ lower grades were perceived as underachievement, boys’ lower grades were perceived as lack of interest. Such gendered perceptions of students undermine gender-sensitive efforts in schools and can affect educational aspirations and thereby contribute to the persistent gender gap in education and society at large.