Towards a comprehensive sexual education from early childhood: representations and pedagogical practices mediated by social movements in Chile

• In Event: Integrated approaches to ECD

Proposal

Faced with the persistence of inequities, discrimination and violence against women, girls and dissidents (LGBTQ+), the gaze has turned towards formal education to intervene and generate the cultural changes necessary to move towards more inclusive societies (Gegenfurtner & Gebhardt, 2017; Keogh et al., 2020; O'Brien, Hendriks, & Burns, 2021; UNESCO, 2018). To do this, one of the ways is to shift from traditional perspectives on teaching aboutsexuality, towards Comprehensive Sexual Education (CSE) aspects, the identity of gender and the various forms of human sexuality. CSE, on the other hand, covers human relations, sexual and reproductive health and rights, including reflection around values and information about sexual and reproductive life to promote the development of skills to make healthy decisions and (Keogh et al., 2020).
In the Chilean context, this discussion has been strongly established since 2018, when, in the period of the so-called "feminist May", a historic mobilization led by women from all ages and social classes, raised and marched reporting cases of sexual abuse in universities in the country. During that month, thousands of women joined the demonstrations, marches and protests, demanding structural changes in the patriarchal system, a non sexist education and to stop gender violence. The movement was a milestone in the history of Chilean and Latin American feminism (Zerán, 2018). Then in 2019, and among other social demands, CSE was clamoured by thousands of citizens, who recognising the patriarchal culture, demanded a change in the national constitution. However, the bill is still in parliament and its first attempt to pass failed to vote due to lack of a quorum.
Thus, given the social and cultural component of the notions of sexuality, gender and sexual diversity, it is essential to make visible and highlight the importance of CSE for the related cultural transformations. Education is a fundamental space for the reproduction or transformation of social constructions. The development of gender starts in early childhood within families and educational spaces where discourses configure, construct and/or reproduce what it means to be a "boy or girl" (Callahan and Nicholas, 2018). These institutions provide representations on gender that are structured from conception and have implicit discriminatory criterion (Benitez, 1999).
In Chile, as in many countries around the world, the debate around CSE has generated polarised social movements. On the one hand, organisations and groups in favour of CSE argue that it is essential to promote inclusive, informed and respectful education on sexuality. These groups defend that CSE contributes to preventing unwanted pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases and gender violence. On the other hand, there are movements against CSE that argue that it goes against moral and social values and personal or religious beliefs. These organisations maintain that it is the exclusive right of parents and guardians to address the sexual education of their children and that CSE can promote behaviours considered inappropriate or contrary to their convictions.
The debate on CSE in Chile has been especially intense in the school environment, where the mandatory implementation of some of its components is currently being discussed, such as the gender and diversity approach in the study plans. Both sides of the debate have carried out demonstrations, marches and campaigns to express their positions and press for changes or maintenance of educational policies related to CES
Promoting CSE in schools is critical to challenge the dichotomic gender construction and promote more inclusive societies. In this task, the work of teachers is crucial. Nevertheless, there is still scarce research the ways in which teachers take on teaching CSE, both from the point of view of skills and knowledge that can be observed in their pedagogical practices, and also about their attitudes, affects and beliefs (Dessel et al., 2017; Kollmayer, Schober, & Spiel, 2018; O'Brien et al., 2021; UNESCO, 2018).
Understanding how gender is constructed in early childhood education is an important challenge. This level has particularities in terms of gender as it is a highly feminised field, in which more than 99% of the labour force are women (Subsecretariat of Early Childhood Education, 2021). This situation responds to a patriarchal society, in which child care has historically been assigned to women (Lamas, 1996; Poblete, 2020). Consequently, in pre-school education it reproduces the role of mother caregiver towards the figure of educator.
The space for early childhood education is key and the systematic evidence highlights its relevance in the training of infants between the ages of 0 and 6 (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development [NICHD], 2001; Vandell, Burchinal, Vandergrift, Belsky, Steinberg & NICHD, 2010; Seguel et al, 2012). People in their early years spend a large part of the day in interaction with educators, technicians and their peers. It is in this process where educators have great responsibility since they can favour the reproduction or be promoters of transformations that allow the improvement of human relations, the vision of the world and the ways in which we relate to it (Bourdieu & Passeron, 2005; Giroux, 1985).
In this context, this paper presents the preliminary results of a study that analyses the representations of early childhood teachers and teachers assistants about what entails CSE and how they include (or not) the fundamental axes of CSE in their teaching practice. To collect data, in-depth interviews have been applied to 15 preschool educators from three different regions of the country and to 20 preschool teaching assistants who share the teaching exercise in the classroom with the educators. Moreover, an auto ethnographic process will be carried out by the participants, in a three year period.
The study seeks to generate knowledge about the representations of the CSE axes (gender, sexuality and diversity) that facilitate the incorporation and development of CSE from early childhood. In particular, for this conference we will delve into how the different social movements around CSE in Chile have affected the perceptions of educators in relation to their approach.

Authors

• Daniela Alejandra Figueroa Moya, Universidad Finis Terrae

• mery rodriguez, Universidad de Las Américas, Chile

• Paula Guerra Zamora