Gender Equity in Higher Education Policy in Chile: Between Symbolic Inclusion and Structural Exclusion

• In Event: Gender Equity in STEM from a Comparative Education Policy Perspective

Abstract

This study critically examines gender equity policies in Chilean higher education between 2018 and 2024, exposing tensions between symbolic inclusion and structural exclusion. Grounded in feminist and critical policy analysis, it analyzes national and institutional documents using qualitative content analysis and text mining (term frequency-inverse TF-IDF and topic modeling). The findings reveal a persistent gap between equity discourse and institutional transformation, particularly in STEM fields. While gender is increasingly framed as a strategic axis, policies rarely incorporate redistributive, epistemic and territorial justice. The Chilean case reflects broader global governance challenges in enacting equity-oriented reforms and underscores the need for intersectional, structurally transformative, and context-sensitive approaches to gender justice in higher-education systems.

Authors

• Francisca Beroíza Valenzuela, Centro de Estudios de Conflicto y Cohesión Social (COES)

• Daniela Véliz Calderón, Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile