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 and men. It is hoped
that the findings of this study will facilitate the
implementation of supportive interventions in the future.