Female technology education teachers’ experiences of Finnish craft education

In order to introduce a more equitable gender balance in education and consequently in the labour market, it is highly relevant to continue to expand our knowledge of technology education and to give attention to gender related issues. The ultimate purpose of this study was to contribute to efforts to get more women to study technology and pursue technological careers by investigating their experiences. To approach this, the aim was to offer an overview of the gendered processes that girls and women may experience when studying and working in the area of technical craft and technology education.

The study was carried out using semi-structured theme interviews, and the data were collected from November to December 2014. The study group consisted of seven female teachers of technical craft and technology education working in basic education schools. A qualitative theory-oriented thematic analysis was carried out through the identification, coding, analysis and reporting of patterns within the data. The findings revealed that all of the participants had experienced gendered patterns in terms of divisions of labour, construction of symbols and images and interactions between women. It is hoped that the findings of this study will facilitate the implementation of supportive interventions in the future.